UK and Ireland have three of the world's most scenic airports

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Airports in the UK and Ireland have scored well in the annual survey of scenic airport landings by the private jet booking service, PrivateFly.

Carrickfinn in the west of County Donegal, also known as Donegal airport, was second only to the short runway at the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba.

Donegal airport has scheduled daily links to Dublin, and flights on most days to Glasgow. It was nominated by Adam Twidell, chief executive of PrivateFly and a former RAF pilot. It is highly rated by some of the pilots who contribute to the PPrune aviation forum. One of them comments:

“Donegal itself is a great wee airport with a nice cafe for a coffee in the terminal. The [air-traffic controllers] are very helpful and there is a beach which runs parallel to the runway which makes for a nice walk in the afternoon.

“Bit of dip in the runway though!”

London City airport, which is in the middle of a built-up area and close to the Docklands high-rises, took sixth place. Barra, the only beach airport with regular scheduled services, was ninth.

Nice Cote d’Azur, another coastal airport, was third. Gibraltar, whose runway juts into the sea between the Rock and the Spanish border, was fourth.

Queenstown airport in New Zealand’s South Island, was fifth. The airport in the survey that typically hosts the largest aircraft was the Dutch Caribbean island of St Maarten, which receives frequent wide-bodied planes from Amsterdam and Paris. It took seventh place.

Orlando-Melbourne airport in Florida, placed eighth, is nowhere near Orlando, but very close to Port Canaveral and the state’s “Space Coast”. It will celebrate its 90th birthday next year.

Tenth place went to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which is walking distance from the centre of Canada’s biggest metropolis.