The approach to which airport have you found the most visually scenic or exciting?

Personally I have found Donegal Airport to have one of the most scenic approaches, provided there’s sufficient visibility. The numerous islands, bays, mountains and beaches make for a fantastic descent. It had been voted the workd’s Most scenic airport 2018. And I’m not from Donegal or have any connection with it. Another great approach is literally any in Greenland. The major international flights mostly arrive in Kangerlussuaq, with the descent being made over the inland ice with its oval patches of clear bright blue ice, before the aircraft lowers into the fjord valley where the airport and town are located.

flazio

Not been myself but Lukla looks good.

Pat Dunne

The approach to Longyearbyen is very spectacular with the approach over the mountains and the fjords especially when they're are ice bergs in the Adventfjord.

CardinalJ

Innsbruck in Austria, when you are flying down through the valleys on approach is lovely.

I'd like to do Lukla, but it is definitely a risky one!

I've been to Longyearbyen, arrived at 11pm and of course the sun was out in August, circling around but never going down. Taking off on the permafrost was an experience with the runway shaking beneath you.

Newquay Cornwall was another exciting one. The visibility was excellent, so the Air South-West pilot flew the Dh8 very low, close to the clifftops and by the beaches until turning sharply left onto the runway which almost meets the cliffs. Great for us folk on the left side.

VG31

CardinalJ wrote: »

Innsbruck in Austria, when you are flying down through the valleys on approach is lovely.

I flew into Innsbruck last month. The approach down the valley between the mountains is stunning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTXGhE6bwBM

https://youtu.be/Fv_c6vA8DXE

Isafordur in Iceland... I will have to book a flight some day, like a work colleague did.

What Username Guidelines

Not nature-related, but Singapore and São Paulo are both incredible. The sheer number of ships in the Singapore strait and the vastness of São Paulo are both absolutely breathtaking.

Would love to do Innsbruck. Queenstown New Zealand looks spectacular too, though I’ve only seen that from the ground

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Dublin (Rwy34 especially), Palermo (Rwy25), Ibiza, Naples (offset ILS Rwy06), Salszburg, Marseille and Nice, Genoa, Lisbon (Rwy 03), most Greek Islands, Vigo (Rwy 19), Edinburgh (Rwy 24).

funkey_monkey

Baracoa Airport in Cuba. Approach from the sea - feels as if you are going to land in water until the last second.

donegal_man

Queenstown NZ, coming in over Queenstown Bay in the early evening with the mountains all around and the lights of the town reflected in the water is the most stunning things I've ever witnessed from a plane.

funkey_monkey

Another one which I thought was spectacular was coming into Santiago de Chile. Flying over the Andes was amazing. Pilots do have a really class job at times.

mwrf

The Expressway Visual 31 approach at LGA is the most spectacular I've been on. Amazing views of Manhatten on the left, particularly at night, followed by a hard left just before landing.

I love the chart
https://uk.flightaware.com/resources/airport/LGA/IAP/EXPRESSWAY+VISUAL+RWY+31/pdf

tricky D

Potomac River Visual Approach into Reagan National, DC. Make sure you have a right window seat. The bit before the ultra-short final turn where you can see the runway is a major eye-brow raiser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfM7TQf6dtA

Kev11491

LAX, once you're on the approach south over Malibu, over the Hollywood hills and turning over downtown LA.

plodder

Sligo.

trellheim

the old hong kong over the city, I did this a couple of times. Heres an average Kai Tak landing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtnL4KYVtDE watch the crab at end ...

Mate of mine said I must do Barra on the beach a couple of weeks ago , commercial flight landing on the beach

California Dreamer

I have 2 ones both of which I have flown.

Buzzing the runway at 100ft at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and a touch n go at Grand Canyon National. Near the North Rim.

dzilla

Santorini (Thira) National Airport

fullstop

Sydney airport the few times the plane I've been on has come in from the North West and veered east out over the bay, over the harbour bridge and opera house.

Chris_5339762

London City eastbound. Still haven't been lucky enough.
Dublin 34 northbound. Still haven't been lucky enough.

Innsbruck looks cool.
Venice is actually quite nice too, approaching over the Alps then turn onto finals and, if you're on the right hand side you get your first views of the old city in the disance.

VG31

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

London City eastbound. Still haven't been lucky enough.

I've been on this approach before but unfortunately the weather was bad. The only landmark I saw was St Paul's.

The city approach over Vienna is great also.

Heading into Vancouver is lovely.

cailinoBAC

Gibraltar

Bsal

Geneva is a nice one.

Donegal Storm

Somewhat biased but CFN on a sunny winters day is probably my favourite, coming in over the snow capped hills then slowly travelling up along the coast before turning and coming in to land with a view of the islands, bays and beaches and with Atlantic crashing against the cliffs just below you. Been to airports all over the world and yet to see a better approach!



Heathrow when you come in from the NW, circle over the city centre and head back out towards Richmond is always enjoyable as well picking out landmarks

smurfjed

Kalibo Airport Philippines.
Male - Maldives
Le Bourget - From over the city
Geneva
New York - any of them
Washington Reagan, Dulles is boring
Mumbai - just because of the slums

Donegal Airport, where life’s a beach or two...

Equium

I love the approach from the north to Barcelona/El Prat. After crossing the Pyrenees, you swing out over the Mediterranean from where the beaches and Marina become visible. The beautiful grid system of L'Eixample then comes into view, nestled between the sea and the hills to the north.

Landing in Haneda, Tokyo is also spectacular at night. It gives you your first indication of the shear size of the urban area.

I also love flying over Paris and London.