Airports Are Far From Just Another Piece of Concrete

Every stop—and every runway for that matter—really does have its own personality.

Les Abend

Wednesday, April 01, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A widebody jet overflies the beach on short final to the runway at St. Maarten in the Caribbean. [Credit: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots acknowledge that despite bravado, all airports present unique challenges beyond just being "concrete," stemming from factors like runway length, surrounding environment, and specific operational procedures.
The article highlights examples such as New York's LaGuardia (short runways, urban congestion), St. Maarten (short runway, high-performance takeoffs near beachgoers), and London's Heathrow (high traffic, demanding Continuous Descent Approaches) to illustrate these distinct operational complexities.

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Light years ago, I was nearby to hear a quintessential crusty, old captain’s response to an inquiry from a passenger that prompted him to say that at the end of the day, all airports were just pieces of concrete to land the airplane. The statement is pure bravado, implying that setting the wheels down on any runway anywhere in the world is routine.

Indeed, as well-trained professional pilots, it should be routine. But for those of us that are seasoned veterans of the sky, we know that airports have their own idiosyncrasies.