Five airports with demanding approaches

Each of these five airports has something that shapes how aircraft arrive: a steep glide slope, published wind limits, an exposed position or special crew requirements. This page sets out what the published sources say about each.^[1][2][3][4]

London City

London City has the steepest landing approach of any international airport, according to Guinness World Records, with a published instrument landing system (ILS) glide slope of 5.5 degrees. The record gives the reasons as its city-centre location, surrounded by tall structures, and its relatively short 1,508 m (4,948 ft) runway.^[1]

In April 2017, AIN reported that EASA certification allowed Swiss to fly the Bombardier CS100 into London City after the type gained steep-approach approvals.^[5]

Madeira (Funchal)

Portugal's official Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) for Madeira lists one runway, 05/23, declared at 2,481 m by 45 m, at an elevation of 58 m (191 ft). It states that all landings are to be made in visual conditions and sets wind limits by direction: for runway 05, winds from 300 to 010 degrees magnetic are limited to 15 knots, with gusts to 25 knots.^[2]

The AIP also requires the captain to have at least 200 hours as captain and recent experience at the airport within the last six months, and the operator to run a training programme for the aircraft type first. A 2023 fact check by Diário de Notícias da Madeira found the claim that Madeira is the only airport with mandatory wind limits to be imprecise, and reported that the limits were first set in 1964 with a DC-3.^[2][6]

Wellington

Wellington is windy because it sits on the edge of Cook Strait, which funnels the wind and makes it faster and stronger on the Wellington side, according to New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). NIWA adds that the airport is sheltered from northeasterly and southwesterly winds, so the wind blows largely along the runway and dangerous crosswinds are rare.^[3]

Turbulence is the bigger factor. NIWA says flying is roughest when the turbulence is about the size of the aircraft, which often happens on the approach, and that its effect lessens closer to the ground. The runway, 16/34, is 6,352 ft long, at a field elevation of 41 ft.^[3][7]

Gibraltar

Vehicles used to cross the runway at Gibraltar. On 31 March 2023 an airport tunnel of about 350 metres opened to all vehicles. Since then only pedestrians, cyclists and scooter users may cross the runway, according to the Government of Gibraltar.^[8]

Paro

In 2008 the Flight Safety Foundation described Paro, in Bhutan, as a daytime-only airport for visual flight, with a single 7,332 ft (2,235 m) runway at an elevation of about 7,300 ft. To obtain a landing permit at that time, a private operator had to train its pilots in a simulator with a visual model of Paro, or carry a Druk Air pilot in the observer's seat.^[4]