Top 5 Airports In The World For Plane Spotters
- Katie Louise
- Apr 8, 2015
- 3 min read
Princess Juliana International Airport, Saint Maarten
Photo Courtesy: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Princess_juliana_international_airport_approach.jpg
You have probably heard of this airport before, with it being one of the most popular airports with travellers thanks to the fact that apron of the active runway is right next to the famous Maho Beach. Big airliners like the Boeing 747 or Airbus A340 landing at the small airport fly so low to the ground, pictures taken by tourists give the impression you can almost reach up and touch their bellies. Thrill seekers often hold onto the roadside fence waiting for the jet blast from aircraft taking off. But we don’t recommend this of course either do all the warning signs next to the fence!
Gibraltar Airport, Gibraltar
Photo Courtesy: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Princess_juliana_international_airport_approach.jpg
Now a civilian airport that serves the British territory of Gibraltar, originally it was constructed during World War II and was an important base for the British. With the limited space that was available on the runway it intersects a public road. If you are in a car travelling on the road you would cross the runway. safety barriers are there preventing cars from entering the runway when there is a takes off or a landing.
Barra Airport, Scotland
Photo Courtesy: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Barra-Airport-Canthusus.JPG
Barra Airport is the only airport in the world that is also a beach, I know amazing. It is set out with three runways in a triangle so planes are able to land into the windy conditions, permanent wooden poles at the ends are marked. The twin otter aircraft that service this airport has schedule that is a bit funny, meaning they can only land at low tide. When it a high tide the runways are under the sea. Emergency flights do occasionally operate at night time.
Wellington International Airport, New Zealand
Photo Courtesy: http://www.newzealandphoto.info/photos/pristani-na-mezinarodnim-letisti-wellington-novy-zeland-274.jpg
Wellington airport has a short runway which is only 2,081 metre long, which borders the ocean. On-board passengers will get very close to the water before the airplane settles down on the runway, the famous wind often makes landing at this small airport very exciting, and challenging for the crew. Now only smaller aircraft operate from this wellington, with Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 aircraft being the biggest. Then even the runway is too short for these aircraft to take off at their maximum weight, which is interesting because during the 1980's Qantas used to fly their Special Performance 747's to Wellington airport!
Gustaf III Airport, Saint BarthÈlemy
This small airport is named after King Gustav III of Sweden, It is served by small regional charter aircraft, they normally have fewer than 20 passengers on board the planes. The runway sits at the bottom of a gentle slope, and ends directly on the beach below. Landing at this small airstrip means it has to descend at a very steep angle to clear the hilltop road, which makes it often come very close to cars below. When aircrafts Depart it does so over the heads of sunbathers on the beach.
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