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Watch scary plane landings under high winds at Madeira Airport

While some pilots managed to land their planes safely but awkwardly — some almost sideways as they struggled against the strong winds — others were forced to abort landing and fly to safer airports.

Some pilots were able to land safely after multiple attempts.

The runway at the Madeira Airport — also known as Funchal Airport — in the Portuguese island of Madeira, Santa Catarina, is one of the shortest and most hazardous in the world despite the island being a popular holiday destination.

According to the Daily Mail, the runaway was extended over the ocean after accidents in which passenger jets overshot it.

The most tragic was one involving a TAP Portugal Flight TP425 in 1977, which overshot the runway and crashed into a beach, killing more than 130 passengers.

According to RT, the runway was only about 1,600 meters (5,250 ft) long when it was first built in 1964. But following the 1977 accident it was extended twice, in 1977 and then in 2003, when it was extended over the sea to make for safer landing.

Although the airport is sometimes described as one of the most dangerous airport landings in the world, an expert has argued that it is wrong to describe any airport as “dangerous.”

Patrick Smith, pilot and author of Cockpit Confidential, told the Daily Mail that the videos demonstrate the skills of pilots rather than show the airport as “dangerous.”

“In fact, a few of those depicted landings, which presumably are meant to appear frightening, show what most pilots would describe as an excellent crosswind landing. Also, remember that all jetliners have maximum crosswind limits. It’s not up to the pilot to simply ‘give it a try.’ If the crosswind component is beyond a certain value, landing is not allowed.”

He concluded, “There is no such thing as a ‘dangerous’ commercial airport anywhere in the world, period. If an airport were truly unsafe, no commercial carrier would consider flying there.”

Despite Smith’s professional view of the matter, History Channel reportedly ranked the airport the ninth most dangerous in the world after airports such as Paro Airport in Bhutan, Princess Juliana International in St. Martin and the Gibraltar Airport.

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