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.)