The 15 Most Beautiful Airport Landings in the World, Ranked

Whether you’re a seasoned jetsetter or a first-time flier, few things compare to the bird's-eye vista that comes into focus during the most beautiful airport landings in the world. While the long-legged aisle-hoggers among us might not relate, travelers lucky enough to settle into the window seat on certain flight routes can look forward to quite the show ahead of touchdown.But which destinations are worth visiting for the landing alone?Plane travel is the only means of transport onto and off the island for all tourists and locals on Lord Howe Island, New South Wales, Australia. Getty ImagesTo uncover the most beautiful airport landings in the world, AllClear Travel Insurance analyzed 32 airports around the world known for the dazzling views ahead of the runway. One hundred participants were presented with a series of images showcasing the airport runways, and their visual engagement was measured using eye-tracking technology to determine the most captivating landings. The speed at which participants first focused on an image, and the average length of time participants spent looking at each image, were both recorded and turned into a score.The landing sights range from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean. Getty ImagesSome of the high-scorers are frequent landing spots for Condé Nast Traveler editors. These include Madeira Airport, in joint third place with Pitkin County Airport, which is known as having one of the world’s most challenging approaches. As the plane descends, a lush landscape of verdant mountains that flow down into charming villages, beaches, and the crystal-clear waters beyond appears.Many travel editors are familiar with the landing at London City Airport, too, where the glittering city skyline shows itself like a mirage after high-altitude journeys.Getty ImagesYou’ll have to head down under for the most beautiful airport landing in the world, however – as Australia’s Lord Howe Island Airport claims the title, closely followed by New Zealand’s Queenstown Airport. See the complete list of bucket list landings below.The most beautiful airport landings in the worldThe score that follows each of the most beautiful airport landings in the world below represents the ‘eye-catching score’, calculated using the ‘average time spent looking’ in seconds and the ‘average time to first fixation’ in seconds.1. Lord Howe Island Airport, Australia (score: 85)2. Queenstown Airport, New Zealand (score: 79)3. Madeira Airport, Portugal (score: 77)= Pitkin County Airport, United States of America (score: 77)5. Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport, Brazil (score: 76)= London City Airport, United Kingdom (score: 76)7. Innsbruck Airport, Austria (score: 74)8. Paro Airport, Bhutan (score: 72)9. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Caribbean Netherlands (score: 69)10. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, United States of America (score: 68)= Lukla Airport, Nepal (score: 68)12. Seychelles International Airport, Seychelles (score: 65)= Telluride Regional Airport, United States of America (score: 65)= Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, France (score: 65)15. Wellington International Airport, New Zealand (score: 60)= Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Canada (score: 60)This article was originally published in Condé Nast Traveller UK.