Seatbelts fastened? Tray table in the upright position? Excellent, because you’re in for a bumpy ride. Here we take a look at the world’s most scary airport landings.

As if the towering Alps surrounding the French ski resort of Courchevel weren’t enough of a challenge for pilots, this altiport has one of the shortest runways at 1,761 feet long.

The runway is sloped to a gradient of 18.6 degrees and, owing to its proximity to the ski resort and passing skiers, it’s probably just as scary being on the ground as it is in the plane.

It’s not so much the rock or the high winds that make this a scary place to land, although they don’t help matters...

The really precarious thing about Gibraltar airport is that a moment too long on the runway and you’ll end up in the sea. There's also a main road which leads to central Gibraltar crossing the runway. Traffic is stopped by a pair of barriers up to 10 minutes before a landing or take-off.

The tiny Hebridean island of Barra off the west coast of Scotland is the only place in the world where scheduled flights land on the beach.

The beach has three runways which means that planes can almost always land with the wind in the right direction. The whole area is submerged by the sea at high tide so the schedule changes from day to day. Better hope your flight is on time!

If you’re planning on visiting Everest Base Camp, the chances are you’ll need to go via this mountain landing strip. The approach through the snowy peaks is a challenge for only the most experienced pilots and landing requires precision accuracy so as not to slam into the high mountain at the end of the runway.

Taking off isn’t any less hairy: the runway is 1,729 feet long and at the other end is a precipitous drop.

This little Atlantic island is often at the mercy of incoming weather fronts which create unpredictable turbulence even on the clearest of days.

Owing to Madeira’s increasing popularity as a tourist destination, the runway has been extended several times to accommodate larger aircraft. Instead of reclaiming land, the runway was built on stilts and partly covers the sea.

Not only do pilots have to negotiate the icy mountains in this remote part of the far northern hemisphere, but fog and high winds are common occurrences. Night landings are banned completely here.

Located in a valley at 7,300 feet above sea level and surrounded by lofty peaks reaching 16,400 feet high, planes must take a tight line through a narrow gap in the mountains to reach the landing strip. It’s no surprise, then, that there’s only a handful of pilots worldwide who are trained sufficiently to do this.

There are a number of designated landing strips on the compacted sea ice near Antarctica's Ross Island. Williams Field consists of 26 feet of compacted snow ice on top of an ice sheet 10 feet thick. Pegasus Field (pictured) had to close in late 2016 because of excessive summer melting as a result of consistently warmer temperatures.

This is one of the shortest commercial runways in the world at only 1,312 feet. With a steep drop into the sea at both ends, it makes for some nail-biting take-offs and landings.

This diminutive, craggy Greek island only got an airport with the aid of reclaiming the land from the sea between it and the neighboring island of Lazareta.

Planes fly low over a nearby beach and public road which has made it a popular destination for plane spotters to congregate.

Although the runway itself is built on low-lying land by the sea, it’s incredibly close to the city’s suburbs and surrounding mountains. That, coupled with the unpredictable air currents and strong cross winds, means that you can be in for a bumpy ride.

This runway is bookended by a steep hillside at the approach end and the deep blue sea at the other. Add to the mix the proximity of local roads and you’ll want to close your eyes as you fly in (if you're not waving to passersby on the road, that is).

This approach is via the sea and pilots must keep a close eye on their altitude as the route passes narrowly over Maho beach.

The beach has become a popular spot from which to watch planes and there are plenty to see. Saint Martin is a hub for onward journeys to the sun-kissed idyllic Leeward and Winward island chains. Proceed with caution, though. In 2017, one woman died after standing too close to the airport fence as a Boeing 737 took off.

Often regarded as one of the most scenic approaches in the world, it’s also one of the highest at 10,600 feet above sea level and in the heart of the Himalaya range. Because of fierce afternoon winds, planes only take off and land in the mornings.

Forget your comfort teddy, though – hand luggage is forbidden. Airport security is incredibly tight up in this region of India and you’ll have to comply with much stricter checks than usual.

This little island runway is a one-way street. Precision is required to make the 90-degree turn, narrowly avoiding a mountain, followed by an immediate reduction in speed in order to avoid the sheer drop at the other end.

This is the main international airport for the Maldives so if you want to dip your toes in the pristine blue waters, you’ll have to stomach the gut-wrenching landing that almost sees the plane take a dip too.

Onward journeys from here are made by seaplane.

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En route to Queenstown, planes have to negotiate the craggy mountain region and the frequent high winds and sideways rain.

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As if that wasn’t enough, if the plane overshoots the runway you’ll end up in the fjord.

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