World's Diciest Landing Strips

From the US to Bhutan, a tour of white-knuckle airports
By Paul Stinson,  Newser User
Posted Jun 29, 2008 2:02 PM CDT
World's Diciest Landing Strips
It's not quite a day at the beach for those landing at Scotland's Barra Airport.   (Flickr © Wynwhite)

The scenery is spectacular, but lofty mountaintops, stiff trade winds, and abbreviated tarmacs make for teeth-clenching landings at the world’s most harrowing runways, per Travel and Leisure:

  • Paro Airport, Bhutan: Surrounded by 16,000-foot-high Himalayan peaks, what could possibly go wrong?
  • Barra Airport, Scotland: Hold on tight. The roughness of your sandy landing is determined by the outgoing tide.

  • Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten: Landing on a 6,000-foot runway is easy—immediately hit brakes. Repeat as necessary.
  • JFK, New York: If you thought the subway was crowded, try squeezing between LaGuardia- and Newark-bound traffic—and there's the inhospitable waters of Jamaica Bay if your plane overshoots.
For the rest of the nail-biting list, click below. (More airport stories.)

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