Whether you’re seeing a city’s iconic landmarks in miniature or descending over snowcapped mountains, there’s nothing quite like a gorgeous view from your aeroplane window to really amp up excitement before you land.
But where, exactly, are the world’s prettiest places to land by plane? Travel insurance provider AllClear has conducted some research to answer that question. Using eye-tracking technology, they’ve evaluated which approaches held people’s gaze the quickest and for the longest.
Topping the list with a solid ‘eye-catching’ score of 85 out of 100 was Lord Howe Island Airport, a titchy little hub that only serves domestic flights from Australia but brags glorious views of blue waters and lush green hills.
Queenstown Airport claimed second place, with an eye-catching score of 79, and third place was tied between Madeira Airport and Pitkin County Airport in Aspen, which each scored 77. Read on for the full roundup.
These are the most beautiful airport landings in the world
1. Lord Howe Island Airport, Australia
2. Queenstown Airport, New Zealand
3. Madeira Airport, Portugal
= Pitkin County Airport, United States of America
5. Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport, Brazil
= London City Airport, United Kingdom
7. Innsbruck Airport, Austria
8. Paro Airport, Bhutan
9. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Caribbean Netherlands
10. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, United States of America
= Lukla Airport, Nepal
12. Seychelles International Airport, Seychelles
= Telluride Regional Airport, United States of America
= Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, France
15. Wellington International Airport, New Zealand
= Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Canada
You can check out the study in more detail here. Ever wondered what airport scanners are actually looking for? Check that out here.
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