The world’s most eye-catching runway landings in the world have been revealed, with captivating natural surroundings dominating the list over city skylines.
A study by travel insurance company AllClear used eye-tracking technology, with participants shown a series of images of 32 airport runways from around the world, each known for offering breathtaking views for passengers as they come in to land.
AllClear then cross-referenced metrics to reveal which airport landings are the most beautiful, based on which runways caught their attention the quickest, as well as how long it held their attention.
At the top of the list of the most eye-catching airport landings was Lord Howe Island Airport. Although it’s one of the shortest runways in Australia, passengers spent more time admiring the view than any other.
The island only welcomes 400 at any one time to the Unesco World Heritage oceanic islands, boasting white sandy beaches, coral reefs, turquoise bays and mountains.
With the destination never crowded with thousands of visitors, the island is able to protect its beautiful surroundings, dubbed one of the cleanest places on air with no air or sea pollution.
In second place is another destination in the southern hemisphere, with many passengers also being captivated by the landing at Queenstown Airport in New Zealand.
With the airport located in the heart of the lower South Island, surrounded by the Central Otago and Southern Lakes regions, as well as the magnificent Southern Alps, the scenery is hard to ignore as you come into land.
Due to being situated in such breathtaking surroundings, Queenstown airport also offers ‘flightseeing’ tours on helicopter rides and scenic flights around the region.
Leaving the southern hemisphere, Europe is where you will find the flight landing ranked third by participants as being blessed with breathtaking runway scenery.
Madeira Airport in Portugal, while notorious for its challenging approach when coming in to land due to windy conditions, is also flanked by dramatic cliffs and lush greenery, while the deep blue of the Atlantic Ocean surrounds the runway which juts out to sea.
Tying for third place is Pitkin County Airport in Colorado, USA, frequented by many heading to the ski resort town of Aspen and offering passengers views of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains.
The top 10 also included Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, helped much by one of the seven wonders of the world, Christ the Redeemer as well as its sweeping beaches and sparking waters.
London City Airport also ranked high, tying with Rio, and while not being blessed with spectacular natural scenery like others on the list, the city skyline and its iconic landmarks such as The London Eye and The Shard capture the attention of passengers landing in the UK’s capital.
Austrian alp-backed Innsbruck Airport in Austria, Himalayan surrounded Paro Airport in Bhutan and island beauty spots Juancho E Yrausquin Airport in the Caribbean Netherlands and Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Hawaii rounded off the top 10.
Tying with the Hawaiian airport in 10th place was also Lukla Airport in Nepal, known for being the gateway to Everest, showcasing unmatched views of the world’s tallest mountain.
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Source: independent.co.uk
