Flying is an exciting part of any holiday adventure, but certain airports add an extra touch of uniqueness to the experience
Focusing on the journey, not the destination, is a well-touted saying but in some holiday hotspots, the fun truly does start while you’re still inbound.
These lesser-known airports can offer a completely different flying experience with some staggering views before the wheels touch ground as MyFlyRight compiled the top most unique landing zones.
Lukla Airport
Also known as the Tenzing-Hillary Airport, to get to this landing strip you first make your way into the heart of the Himalayas in Nepal.
With jaw-dropping views, you then touch ground on a shockingly short runaway with a cliff on one edge and solid rock face on the other.
The narrow margin of error, made even smaller by harsh and unpredictable weather, also makes this airport one of the most dangerous. But for the steady stream of adventurers taking on Mount Everest, this airport is a vital stop on their journey.
Courchevel Altiport
Located in the French Alps, this unique airport has a rare uphill runway that is also very short and often surrounded by snow making for a landing so challenging pilots need special training and certifications. It mostly serves the nearby exclusive ski resort Courchevel.
Princess Juliana International Airport
This Caribbean airport in St. Maarten has gone viral countless times for its shocking location that often leaves people so awestruck they’re convinced it’s been photoshopped. The short runway is surrounded by water and ends at the popular Maho Beach, nicknamed Airport Beach.
As a result, planes often have to fly incredibly low over the populated beach to land. Avid plane spotters often flock to this destination to watch the spectacle from the sandy shores, with a local beach bar even listing flight times and beachgoers are advised to ‘brace’ and keep hold of their belongings when larger planes arrive or depart.
Gibraltar International Airport
Gibraltar’s runway actually intersects a major road, Winston Churchill Avenue. When a plane is taking off or landing, traffic has to be closed across the entire road.
Understandably this used to cause major traffic disruptions but just last March, a new road and tunnel was launched, officially closing vehicular use of the runway-road. However, pedestrians and cyclists using Winston Churchill Avenue still may need to keep a keen eye on the departure board.
Barra Airport
This Scottish entry is incredibly unique as the landing zones are actual beaches on the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides. The flight schedule is dictated by the tides as the runways become submerged twice a day, but the airport still manages to transport up to 14,000 passengers a year.
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport
Returning to the Caribbean, this airport has one of the shortest runways in the world at just 400 meters, ending on a cliff that drops into the ocean.
The airport is popular in flight simulator games for the sheer level of difficulty but only a handful of accidents have ever been recorded, and since the airport opened in 1959 the only fatality has been a goat that was in a plane’s cargo hold in 1971, according to the New Zealand Herald.