London’s got nothing on Squamish, the owner of Glacier Air says.
Squamish Airport’s approach was recently voted one of the top 10 in the world in an online poll hosted by privatefly.com. The Sea to Sky community landed at No. 8 on the list, behind Gibraltar in the Iberian Peninsula. The ranking doesn’t come as surprise to Colette Morin.
“We always knew that,” she said.
Anyone who flies into Squamish is amazed by its beauty. The airport is surrounded by spectacular mountains and, on takeoff, pilots get an excellent view of the Stawamus Chief, Morin noted.
The airport also provides pilots with some challenges. In the summer months the wind blows regularly. And unlike Pitt Meadows and Abbotsford, which have long runways, Squamish’s landing strip is relatively short, Morin said.
Squamish Airport was up against some tough competition. Nice on France’s Cote D’Azur took the top sport. The airport in Nice juts out into sea and provides views of the Alps.
St. Maarten in the Caribbean came in second. The approach to the Princess Julia International Airport, on the Dutch side of the island, is famous for its low-altitude flyover approach. The end of the runway is extremely close to the shore and Maho Beach, which provides viewers with an adrenaline rush as jets zoom overhead.
Third place went to Barra on a Scottish island. The Barra Airport is the only airport in the world where scheduled flights land and take off from a beach.
To see a complete list of winners visit www.privatefly.com/airport-poll/PrivateFlyAirportPollResults2014.
