The important part is the landing
PM has a nifty article on the 18 most interesting airports in the world. I’ve been into number 13 (good luck!) a ton of times…
Near the center of Honduras’ capital city, Tegucigalpa, is the notorious Toncontin International Airport, which has been the subject of scrutiny following several accidents, including a 2008 crash that killed five. The airport opened in 1934, an era when planes were less powerful and didn’t require such lengthy runways.Why It’s Unique:
Toncontin’s runway is just over 7000 feet long and situated in a valley surrounded by mountains. Despite the stubby runway, planes as large as Boeing’s 757 routinely land at the airport. Schreckengast tells PM that “Seven thousand feet is awfully short for 747s,” let alone anything larger, and says that planes are forced to land and take off in the same direction because they won’t be able to clear the mountains otherwise. “There’s one way in and one way out,” he says. Honduran officials have launched an initiative to reroute commercial traffic to the safer Soto Cano Air Base.