Paro Airport – Bhutan: Surrounded by 16,000-foot Himalayas; only a handful of pilots are certified to land here.
Barra Airport – Scotland: Uses a beach as a runway; pilots must time landings with tides.
Juancho E. Yrasquin Airport – Saba Island: World's shortest commercial runway (400 m), flanked by cliffs.
Narsarsuaq Airport – Greenland: Surrounded by fjords; extreme winds and turbulence make daytime landings mandatory.
Gibraltar International Airport – Gibraltar: Runway crosses a busy city street, closing traffic for each plane.
Madeira Airport – Portugal: Short, windy runway between mountains and ocean; pilots make last-second maneuvers to avoid Atlantic plunge.
Qamdo Bamda Airport – Tibet: Formerly the world's highest airport; extreme altitude and terrain challenge pilots.
St. Barths Airport – St. Barths: Short runway ending near sunbathing tourists.
Malekene Air Strip – Lesotho, Africa: Only 1,300 feet long, ending with a 2,000-foot drop.
Ketchikan International Airport – Alaska: Short runway with heavy rain and freezing conditions.
Tenzing-Hillary Airport – Lukla, Nepal: High altitude, steep runway, surrounded by Himalayas; daytime landings only.
Courchevel Airport – France: Extremely short (1,788 ft) and steep (18.5% slope), ending in a drop.
Gisborne Airport – New Zealand: Runway crossed by an active railway; pilots must watch trains while landing.
