The £98m airport taking passengers to gorgeous city that's the 'most difficult to land at'

Landing a plane isn't always easy and can be the worst part of a holiday for many. In Spain, some can be a real challenge for pilots due to their location, weather conditions, or terrain characteristics.

Airport, known as La Paloma for its peculiar design by famous architect Santiago Calatrava, is considered the most complicated to land at in . It's located in a mountainous area surrounded by hills, making this airport a challenge for even the most experienced pilots. It first opened in 76 years ago in September 1948.

Bilbao's changes constantly. Rain, gusty wind, and fog are common phenomena that can affect visibility and complicate landings.

The orientation of the airport's runways and its geographical location also generate strong crosswinds that can destabilise when they are about to approach, forcing pilots to make constant corrections to their trajectory.

What's more, the mountains around the airport make these approaches to the landing strip more technical, as pilots have to follow very precise trajectories to avoid any natural obstacles they may encounter. This means that approach options are more limited and require greater skills from the pilot.

This airport also has the steepest approach path. It's normal for airports to have an approach path of three degrees, but Bilbao Airport's is 3.5 degrees. This is due to the mountains around it, which require more time to land.

For those brave enough to land at Bilbao Airport, they have access to one of Spain's most beautiful . Bilbao is the largest city proper in the north of the country and the tenth largest in Spain, with a population of over 347,000 as of 2023. It's located around 10 miles south of the Bay of Biscay. Among its best sights are the Bilbao City Hall, the Plaza Nueva, built in 1821, and the impressive Zubizuri bridge, a tied-arch footbridge.

Spain is also home to some other difficult airports, including Airport. It is located in an elevated area and presents a combination of meteorological and geographical problems that make landings a challenge. The mountains are very close to the airport, causing dense fog regularly.

Airport is known for being one of the most complex to land due to its proximity to both the mountains and the Cantabrian Sea. The runway is also short, just 1,754 metres, meaning planes have to land with extreme precision to stop in time and avoid leaving the runway.