Madeira Airport

Madeira Airport (IATA: FNC, ICAO: LPMA), formerly known as Santa Catarina Airportand informally known as Funchal Airport, is an international airport in the civil parish of Santa Catarina, municipality of Santa Cruz, in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira.

The airport was once infamous for its short runway which, surrounded by high mountains and the ocean, made it a tricky landing for even the most experienced of pilots. Its innovative solution allowed Funchal to receive the Outstanding Structure Award in 2004 by the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, which aims at recognizing the most remarkable, innovative, creative or otherwise stimulating structure completed within the last few years. Nevertheless, it is still considered one of the most peculiarly perilous airports in the world.

History

Madeira Airport was officially opened on 18 July 1964, with two 1,600 m (5,249 ft) runways. The first flight ever to land was aTAP Air Portugal Lockheed Constellationwith 80 passengers on board.

In 1972, the popularity of visiting the island of Madeira increased, so the runway had to be extended to allow modern and larger aircraft to land. Considered the Kai Tak of Europe because of its singular approach to runway 05,the decision was made to extend the existing runway, instead of building a new one. In the meantime, a brand new terminal was built at the airport in 1973, handling 500,000 passengers.

Between 1982 and 1986, Madeira's runway was successfully extended by 200 m (656 ft) to a total of 1,800 m (5,906 ft), and also four gates were opened. The original runway was only 1,600 m (5,249 ft) long, but was extended by 200 m (656 ft) 8 years after the TAP Portugal Flight 425 crash of 1977.

In 2000, the runway was again extended this time to 2,781 m (9,124 ft) almost doubling the size of the original runway. As landfill was not a realistic option, the extension was built on a platform, partly over the ocean, supported by 180 columns, each about 70 m (230 ft) tall. The extension of Madeira Airport was conducted by the Brazilian construction company Andrade Gutierrez, and is recognized worldwide as one of the most difficult to achieve due to the type of terrain and orography.

The new runway and terminal were inaugurated on 6 October 2002, and to mark the occasion, an Air-Atlantic Iceland Boeing 747-267B, registration TF-ABA, landed at the airport.Although this was a rare event, some TAP Portugal flights make scheduled stops at Madeira with wide bodied A330-200 aircraft on the Lisbon-Caracas-Lisbon route.,

Geography

Funchal Airport is 13.2 km (8.2 mi) east-northeast of the regional capital Funchal. The airport controls national and international air traffic for the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo.

Princess Juliana airport ,saint martin

Princess Juliana Airport, Saint Martin
This international airport serves the Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin. Due to a short runway and being extremely close to the shore, the airport is known for having giant jets fly over Maho Beach just 10-20 meters over the heads of the tourists laying on the beach, resulting in amazing photos

Pincess Juliana InternationalAirport(IATA:SXM, ICAO:TNCM) (also known as Saint Maarten International Airport) is the main airport on the Caribbean island ofSaint Martin, located on the Dutch side of the island in the country ofSint Maarten. In 2010, the airport handled 1,645,105 passengers and 60,870 aircraft movements.[2]The airport serves as a hub forWindward Islands Airwaysand is the major gateway for the smallerLeeward Islands, includingAnguilla,Saba,St. BarthélemyandSt. Eustatius. It is named afterJuliana of the Netherlands, who ascrown princesslanded here in 1944, the year after the airport opened. There is also an airport on the French side of the island, calledAéroport de Grand Case or L'Espérance Airport.The airport is perhaps best known for very low-altitude flyoverlandingapproaches due to one end of its runway being extremely close to the shore andMaho Beach.

Terminal
Designed to handle some 2.5 million passengers annually, the new four-story terminal building offers 30,500 square metres (328,000 sq ft) of floor space and is fully air-conditioned. Available facilities include 46check-indesks, 10 transit desks and 13 boarding gates. There are 20 immigration booths for arriving passengers and five exit-control booths for departing passengers.[11]The building also features 40 shops and food& beverage units—some unique to St. Maarten—promoted under the retail theme 'So Much

History
The airport was started as a military airstrip in 1942. It was converted to a civilian airport in 1943. In 1964 the airport was remodeled and relocated, with a new terminal building andcontrol tower. The facilities were upgraded in 1985 and 2001.Because of increased passenger traffic and the expected growth of passenger traffic in the near future, Princess Juliana International Airport is being heavily modernized following a three-phased masterplan, commissioned in 1997
The airport was started as a military airstrip in 1942. It was converted to a civilian airport in 1943. In 1964 the airport was remodeled and relocated, with a new terminal building andcontrol tower. The facilities were upgraded in 1985 and 2001.Because of increased passenger traffic and the expected growth of passenger traffic in the near future, Princess Juliana International Airport is being heavily modernized following a three-phased masterplan, commissioned in 1997

Top of World’s Scariest Airports. The most dangerous airport landings. The most extreme, scariest of all airports in the world. The airports on the this list are because of their extreme locations at high altitudes, difficult approaches, or short runways, all of which make landings challenging.

 of World’s Most Dangerous Airport Landings

Saba Airport – World’s Shortest Commercial Airport Runway

The Saba International Airport has the world’s shortest commercial airport runway.It is only 400 meter (1300) feet in total length.   Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (Named after the Aruban Minister Juancho Irausquin, yes that's an "I" not a "Y" (a typo from many years back that is now on every map of Saba and every reference and piece of documentation for the airport)) was inaugurated on the 18th of September 1963.

What a flight! 

Only twelve minutes but what a twelve minutes they are! When boarding your Twin Otter or BN2 Islander at Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten, you'll certainly notice the difference in scale to many of the commercial airlines parked and landing around you. Only space for 16 passengers in a Twin Otter (7 in an islander) so you'll get a real feeling that you and your fellow travelers are part of a team heading out on an expedition...
On take off you'll soar gracefully upward banking hard right to swing around in the direction of Saba... Out over the turquoise sea, that sharp silhouette in the distance with clouds atop is your destination!

What a landing!
The runway at Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport is only 400m in length and reputed to be the shortest commercial air strip in the world! Depending on wind conditions it is possible to land on both ends of the runway. On a wind still day (which is less likely) you can expect a 30 landing. You'll get the real sense of landing on an aircraft carrier as you'll see the waters of the Cove Bay to the left and the Caribbean sea to the right of the runway... Under normal conditions you'll be landing 120, now this is something else! The approach is practically at a cliff, the rugged terrain of Saba blocks out the entire sky as you peer over the shoulders of your pilots. Then it's a sharp bank left and a gentle touchdown. Landing on Saba is an art form and the Pilots of Winair & Windward Express are maestros, so enjoy it, remembering it will not be a problem!
What a lift-off!
You'll know you're in for the ride of your life as your plane swings 180 degrees at the end of the runway to line up for lift-off. First the deep blue of the Caribbean sea, then jagged cliffs and finally the end of the runway (that seems all too close!) will be imprinted on your mind... A roar of engines and you're off... But your worries are unfounded as you soar steeply into the sky leaving Saba behind and taking memories with you that will be shared for years to come.

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