The world's scariest airport runways feature terrifying 9,200ft drops, severe turbulence and airstrips so short pilots require special training to touch down
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If you suffer from a fear of flying look away now. Or perhaps that should be fear of landing? Because many passengers would probably prefer to stay in the air when they see their plane approach one of these terrifying runways.
At Lukla Airport in Nepal, pilots have to navigate a runway that ends in a terrifying 9,200ft drop, while at Barra Airport in Scotland they have to wait until the tide is out.
Meanwhile, planes fly so close to Maho Beach in St Maarten that you can almost tell the time on the captain's wrist watch.
And at Paro Airport in Bhutan you'll be able to enjoy stunning views over the Paro river and the Himalayas - if you can overlook the sharp peaks of up to 18,000ft and severe turbulence...
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Gustaf III airport, St Barts: It's a playground for the rich and famous, but jet setters face a nervous descent over a busy road as they come into land on the Caribbean island's tiny runway. The airstrip is so small that pilots are required to have special training to land there. And it can be even scarier on departure, with planes almost skimming the heads of holidaymakers making the most of the sun on the beach below.
Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Nepal: The airport - which is also known as Lukla Airport - is perched on a mountain ridge and is one of the world's most dangerous, with a fall of 9,200ft awaiting planes at the end of the runaway. The sloped runway is just 20 metres wide and 460 metres long - less than a tenth of the length of the standard 5,500 metres - and is one of the steepest approach pathways in the world. Oh, and there are no radar or navigation devices...
Barra Airport, Scotland: This tiny airport is one of only two in the world where scheduled flights use the BEACH as a runway. Flight times are dictated by the sea as the runway disappears under water at high tide. On the plus side, it is regularly voted one of the world's most stunning airports so there is plenty of beautiful scenery to distract you from the fact that you're about to land on sand. It was made famous in the 1994 film Staggered, starring Martin Clunes, and is often used for location filming.
Madeira Airport, Funchal: Pilots require special training to land at this incredibly short runway which is wedged in between mountains and the Atlantic sea. The runway was so short it had to be extended twice due to accidents, including one in which a Boeing 727 plunged off the end of the runway on landing. The extension won't do much to reassure passengers though - it is built on thin concrete pillars that extend into the sea.
Gibraltar International Airport: The runway at this airport stretches less than 2,000 metres and is intersected by a MAIN ROAD. The traffic on Winston Churchill Avenue, which heads towards the land border with Spain, has to be halted every time a plane takes off or lands. In 2010, The History Channel's programme Most Extreme Airports ranked it as the most dangerous airport in Europe.
Courchevel Airport, France: Perched on the side of a cliff 6588ft up in the French Alps, this airport famously featured in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. Pilots have to navigate its short, uphill runway that ends in a terrifying vertical drop. And then there's all that ice and snow, plus the odd blizzard to contend with. Luckily, the average holidaymaker won't have to experience this heart-in-mouth take-off as only private planes can land here.
Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong: With a perilous runway that jutted out into the sea, and an alarmingly steep descent through skyscrapers and mountains, this airport was seen as as one of the most dangerous in the world. It was the site of many an aborted landing and several crashes but was luckily closed in 1998.
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Saba: Blink and you'll miss it! The tiny runway on this Caribbean island is perched on the edge of a cliff and - at only 400 metres long - is reputed to be the shortest commercial air strip in the world so landing here has become a bit of an art form.
Princess Juliana International Airport, St Maarten: This airport is so close to Maho Beach that heavier aircraft such as Boeing 747s are forced to fly improbably low to touch down on the tiny runway. The beach is popular with sunbathers, surfers and, inevitably, plane spotters and the low-flying aircrafts have become a bit of a spectator sport. But a sign at the end of the runway warns tourists that the blast from the jet's engines could knock them off their feet - or even kill them.
Mariscal Sucre Airport, Quito: This airport in Ecuador is surrounded by enormous volcanoes and its high altitude (it sits at nearly 9350ft above sea level) and cramped runway make it one of the world's most challenging for pilots. The nearby mountains force a steep angle of approach and the airport has seen at least 10 serious accidents since it opened, most of which were caused the plane veering off the runway.
Paro Airport, Bhutan: This tiny airport nestled among the Himalayan mountains is 1.5 miles above sea level and surrounded by sharp peaks of up to 18,000ft tall. Planes have to weave through the dozens of houses scattered across the mountainside and face strong winds that whip through the valleys, often causing severe turbulence. If passengers can overlook all of this, they'll notice that the views over the Paro river and the lush green Himalayas are breathtaking
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