World’s Most Memorable Runways
As soon as we land on the airport runway, we begin to marvel at the terminal building, oblivious to the landing strip and its perfection making it possible for the effortless touchdown. Merely a simple strip of flat land, an aircraft runway is not always the easiest to build – not when you have limited space or a mountainous terrain. Here are 5 notable runways from around the world, that might just make you appreciate them a little more.
1. The Most Challenging Landing Strip
Paro Airport in Bhutan is rated as one of the world’s most dangerous and challenging runways to land on. The airport is surrounded by mountainous peaks reaching heights of up to 5,000 metres, with the runway sitting at 2,236 metres in altitude. Much skill is needed for a safe landing and it comes as no surprise that only eight pilots in the world are certified to land here. Flights to and from the airport are restricted to daytime and visually clear weather conditions to minimise the risk of accidents.
2. The Steepest Runway
Think Bhutan’s got it bad? Try landing on a short, 520 metre runway with a steep elevation of 2,000 metres. This is what pilots have to grapple with when landing at Courchevel Airport in the freezing French Alps. Located in a ski area on the Alps, the airport is relatively small and has a no go-around procedure as the airstrip just isn’t big enough. Only small aircrafts and helicopters are able to land in between the deep, icy valleys. Loyal James Bondfans will be able to recognise this landing strip from Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).
3. The Widest Airstrip
The title of the world’s widest airstrip goes to Ulyanovsk-Vostochny Airport in Russia. With an impressive length of 5,000 metres and a width of 105 metres, this runway is known for being the world’s widest commercially used, and the second longest, landing strip. It serves both domestic and international flights. Also, the width of this Russian airstrip is equal to the height of Seville Cathedral in Spain; one of the largest existing churches today.
4. The Longest Landing Strip
Tibet may be known for the wise Dalai Lama, but the aviation industry knows it for something else - Qamdo Bamda Airport’s longest runway in the world at an incredibly high altitude. Resting at 4,300 metres high and 5,500 metres long, Qamdo Bamda’s airstrip is considered a dangerous strip to land on. The air is very thin, making it difficult to breathe and forcing the aircraft to take off and land at speeds higher than normal. The landing strip, which is twice the length of a typical one, is served by only two airlines.
5. The Shortest Runway
Tearing away from the large and wide, the shortest runway measures just 400 metres in length – almost 13 of them can fit neatly onto Qamdo Bamda’s landing strip. Yrausquin Airport on the Caribbean island of Sabaconsists of a single, short landing strip served by only one airline. Both ends of the airstrip are framed by the Caribbean Sea and large aircrafts, such as Jets, are not allowed to land at Yrausquin Airport for fear of ending up in the ocean.
Can you look at another airport runway in the same way again? There’s so much more to consider and appreciate when flying; starting with a gentle, easy landing and the skill of the pilot.