5. Innsbruck, Austria
Surrounded by mountains, the capital of Tyrol is a pretty popular skiing destination—and a breathtaking place to fly into. Or rather, the views are. To be more precise, the challenge for pilots is breathtaking in a different way.
Jets must dip over an 8,000-foot peak, handle the wind shear blowing off the mountains, and depending on the wind direction, may even need to tilt to steer into position to land in the valley.
6. Reagan National Airport, USA
In 2021, when a Frontier Airlines plane slid along the runway at DC’s Ronald Reagan Airport, passengers described it as “pretty scary.” But it isn’t necessary to be involved in an incident like this to get the creeps here.
The pilots have to make a sharp turn near the Potomac River to line the plane up with the runway. Add to this the dodging of no-fly zones over the city, and you have a scary airport here.
