10Lukla Airport (Tenzing-Hillary Airport), Nepal
Nestled in the Himalayan mountains, Lukla Airport is the primary gateway for those trekking to Mount Everest. The airport is infamous for its short runway—only 527 meters (1,729 feet) long—perched on a steep incline. One end of the runway is a solid wall of mountain, while the other drops off into a deep gorge. Pilots have no room for error, and there’s no chance to abort a landing due to the dangerous terrain. Weather conditions in this region are often unpredictable, with strong winds, cloud cover, and fog making the already challenging landing even more treacherous.
