Most Scenic Airports of 2017

Princess Juliana Airport in Sint Maarten (SXM) is a regular of any list of most beautiful airport approaches

One more year and another edition of the Most Scenic Airport Landings 2017.

This time I had the chance to be part of the judging panel that short-listed the airports to be put to vote.

This competition, organized by British private jet broker PrivateFly, has become an annual classic, with aviation enthusiasts from all over the World casting their votes.

Although I have not flown (yet!) into any of the three most voted ones (the first one on the list I have been to is Gibraltar, at #4), I totally agree with the choice of winner, Saba, a tiny, steep, rocky island in the Netherlands Antilles (that has been featured on this blog before) whose tiny runway, perched on a mountainside, is more akin to an aircraft carrier deck than to a commercial airport.

In case you were wondering, the top 10 of most scenic airports this year is the following:

1. Saba, Netherlands Antilles

2. Donegal, Ireland

3. Nice, France

4. Gibraltar, UK

5. Queenstown, New Zealand

6. London City, UK (see also this video we shared of the approach to London City Airport)

7. Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles (see our post about Princess Juliana airport)

8. Orlando, FL, USA

9. Barra, Scotland

10. Billy Bishop Airport, Toronto, Canada