:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/TAL-lord-howe-island-australia-BEAUTIFULLNDNG0425-2af5c9e6be94430cb7243bfd41857e9f.jpg)
- A new study has identified the most beautiful airport landings across the globe.
- The study’s authors used eye-tracking technology on 100 participants to determine which airport approaches were most captivating.
- The winning airport is in a remote location that only 400 tourists can access each year.
Descending into an airport surrounded by mountain peaks or bookended by Caribbean-blue water is less an arrival and more a slow, cinematic unveiling. Arrivals like these are closer to a scenic flyover than a commercial flight, providing a glimpse—and in some cases a climax—to the beauty that’s to come.
If you’ve ever wondered which flight routes are worth booking simply for the view, you’ve come to the right place. The team at AllClear Travel Insurance used eye-tracking technology to determine which airports around the world most catch and hold peoples’ attention.
In the March 2025 study, one airport rose to the top: Lord Howe Island Airport (LDH) both captured and held viewers’ attention—and if you look at a photo, you’ll see why. The airport is located on Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. In addition to its volcanic island surroundings, the airport runway stretches fully across the narrowest part of the island so the runway starts at the ocean and ends at a golden sprawl of sand. The runway is, quite simply, beautiful.
In the case of Lord Howe Island Airport, the chance to arrive there is half the magic. The island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that only allows 400 visitors on the island at a time to lessen the human impact on the landscape and endemic species. The only way to access the isolated oceanic island is by plane, which takes you to the stunning airport that so captured viewers’ attention.
Methodology
The winning airports were determined by 100 participants around the world who took part in an eye-tracking study that analyzed which runways caught their attention the quickest and how long each one held their attention. The complete list of worldwide airports was pared down to 32 airports with an established reputation for offering in-plane passenger views. In the study, participants spent more time admiring the Lord Howe Island Airport view than any other airport landing they were shown: viewers spent 2.64 seconds on average, earning the landing a total eye-catching score of 85 out of 100.
The second most beautiful airport landing in the world, according to the study, was New Zealand’s Queenstown International Airport (ZQN), which requires pilots to navigate a steep descent through dramatic mountains. At No. 3, Pitkin County Airport (ASE) in Aspen, Colorado tied with Madeira Airport (FNC) in Portugal.
The full list of the world’s 20 most beautiful airport landings is below:
1. Lord Howe Island Airport — Australia
2. Queenstown Airport — New Zealand
3. (tie) Madeira — Portugal
3. (tie) Pitkin County Airport — USA
5. (tie) Rio de Janeiro–Santos Dumont Airport (SDU)— Brazil
5. (tie) London City Airport (LCY)— United Kingdom
7. Innsbruck Airport (INN) — Austria
8. Paro International Airport (PBH) — Bhutan
9. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB) — Netherlands (Caribbean Netherlands)
10. (tie) Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) — USA
10. (tie) Lukla Airport (LUA) — Nepal
12. (tie) Seychelles International Airport (SEZ)— Seychelles
12. (tie) Telluride Regional Airport (TEX) — USA
12. (tie) Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) — France
15. (tie) Wellington International Airport (WLG) — New Zealand
15. (tie) Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) — Canada
17. Gibraltar International Airport (GIB) — Gibraltar
18. (tie) Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) — Aruba
18. (tie) Donegal Airport (CFN) — Ireland
20. Narsarsuaq International Airport (UAK) — Greenland
