3. Carnevalli Airport – Merida, Venezuela
Year of construction: 1956
Risk factors: Short runway, mountains on either side
Albert Carnevalli Airport, named after the Venezuelan attorney and activist of the same name, was inaugurated in the mid-1950s. At the time, it was located on the outskirts of Merida, but it soon became crowded by houses and commercial buildings, in addition to the mountains surrounding it.
Carnevalli Airport – Merida, Venezuela ©Juan Ponce / Winimedia.org
The airport faces the same dangerous conditions as a lot of airports surrounding it. The runway is short, measuring just 5,347 feet, and it’s located in a valley. There has been a high-profile accident at Carnevalli before. In 2008, a Santa Barbara flight crashed into the side of the mountains after takeoff. 46 people were killed.