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The airport located in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, despite of not being a very busy airport, has managed to bag the title of the most dangerous airport in Europe and the fifth most dangerous airport of the world. The Gibraltar airport, opened in 1939 as an emergency airfield for the British Navy’s Air arm fleet, is under the Ministry of Defence and is primarily used by the RAF Gibraltar. By 2004 it is said to have handled 314,375 passengers.

The reason for which the Gibraltar airport is termed as a dangerous one is because the lack of plane space has led to the interjection of the runway with the busiest road of the part namely, the Winston Churchill Avenue. This road leads towards the land border of Spain and is often closed by two light barriers whenever there is some flight taking off or landing. The maximum number of flights which is handled by the Gibraltar International Airport is 30 a week, all of which fly to United Kingdom.

Gibraltar airport and The Rock taken from Gibraltar international Airport, Gibraltar on 29 September 2015
Gibraltar airport and The Rock taken from Gibraltar international Airport

Most of the people who use the Gibraltar Airport head towards the nearest parts of Spain like Costa del Sol or Campo de Gibraltar. Around the 1980s the Gibraltar International Airport had faced a number of operational troubles due to the dispute between the Spanish and the British government over the location of the airport and the rules to be implemented there. However, later on the European government excluded it from their regulations. In the current times, Monarch, EasyJet, British Airways are some of the carriers which fly from Gibraltar.

Keeping in mind the road delays caused by the aircraft taking offs and landings, the constructions of a runway tunnel and dual carriageways are in progress. The construction of a new road is also in progress and though the old road will be retained, it will be used only in times of emergency.  In the recent times the Gibraltar airport has also got a new terminal which is about 20, 000 square metres in space and is elegantly spread over two stories.

Gibraltar International Airport terminal
Gibraltar International Airport terminal

The expansion venture of the Gibraltar International Airport has also seen the creation of two new car parks with the new terminal one of which has 220 parking spaces and is spread across three stories. The other one is located on the eastern bench and is also multi storied. In addition, there are also several shops and eating places in the airport premises so that while travelling people can have all sorts of necessary comforts around them.