Looking for short runway / challenging regional airports for small airliners (suggestions?)

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Alright, so I have bought the PMDG 737-600 so I can fly to some smaller airports and I would greatly appreciate some suggestions. What I am looking for is short runways (4000-6000ft, preferably on the shorter side) and/or challenging approaches, but it has to be somewhat realistic. Maybe we can make a list of this kind of airports here, I guess more people could find it useful? I know I will need a list like this even more when the Avro RJ comes out :slight_smile:

I’ll start with a few I have already been to:

Santos Dumont (Rio), SBRJ - ~4300ft
Kithira, LGKC - ~4800ft
London City, EGLC - ~4900ft
Bora Bora (NTTB) -~4900ft
Antwerp, EBAW - ~4950ft
Skiathos, LGSK - ~5300ft
Altenrhein (LSZR) - ~5300ft
Bern, LSZB - ~5670ft
Pico (LPPI) - ~5700ft
Gibraltar (LXGB) - ~5800ft

Edit:
I will update this post with suggestions that fit my criteria… or are generally good :slight_smile:

Lee-on-Solent, UK (EGHF) - 4347ft
Unalaska (Dutch Harbor), AK (PADU) - 4500ft
Lugano, Switzerland (LSZA) - 4658ft
Aosta, Italy (LIMW) - 4916ft
Key West, FL (KEYW) - 5076ft
Florence, Italy (LIRQ) - 5118ft
Castlegar, Canada (CYCG) - 5300ft
Annecy, France (LFLP) - 5348ft
Renton, WA (KRNT): 5382ft
Santa Marta, Colombia (SKSM) - 5577ft
Tweed-New Haven, CT (KHVN): 5600ft
Southampton, UK (EGHI) - 5653ft
Orange County, CA (KSNA) - 5700ft
San Sebastian, Spain (LESO) - 5755ft
Burbank, CA (KBUR): 8/26 is 5802ft
Samedan, Switzerland (LSZS) - 5905ft
Vagar, Faroe Islands - 5906ft

Longer runways with difficult or otherwise spectacular approaches:

Jackson Hole, WY (KJAC): 6300ft - high elevation
Tegucigalpa, Honduras (MHTG) - 6352ft
Innsbruck, Austria (LOWI) - 6562ft
Samos, Greece (LGSM) - 6890ft, great approach to RWY 09
Telluride, CO (KTEX) - 7111ft (but 9078ft AMSL)
Paro, Bhutan (VQPR) - 7431ft (no need to introduce this one)
A Coruna, Spain (LECO) - 7670ft (nice approach to rwy 03)
Aspen, CO (KASE) - 8006ft (7820ft AMSL)
Kelowna, Canada (CYLW) - 8900ft
Vail / Eagle County, CO (KEGE) - 9000ft

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There is also Lugano (Switzerland), LSZA, the runway is 4’658 ft long. However, as it’s the case with EGLC, I don’t think the 737-600 is approved to land at EGLC, nor at LSZA. I think it’s because these approaches are too steep.

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KSNA (Orange County, California) has a 5700’ runway for airliners and a 2886’ runway for GA planes. IRL the takeoff angles are notoriously steep to reduce engine noise for the rich people who live in adjacent cities. :wink:

Being in southern California it’s busy airspace, though the standard approaches aren’t too wacky (either from the ocean past Catalina or from the hills, depending on wind direction).

There’s a very nice freeware scenery for KSNA, as well as a payware by UK2000 Scenery.

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Innsbruck, which is situated in a steep and narrow valley, has an offset ILS approach to RW26, which you can break off from at 4.2 miles DME to join downwind right hand at 3700 ft until you reach a church with a red spire at 3.5nm DME west of the airfield and immediately commence a descending turn right onto final RW08. The RW is 6562 ft long. This can be quite challenging even in good weather. The instrument departures can be interesting as well. I’m not sure if the church is detailed enough in the MSFS version, but it certainly exists in the ORBX version. See attached video. Good luck.

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Kelowna - CYLW
RNAV 34 between the mountains…

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I don’t know if any of these are serviced by 737’s, but here are a few to think about…

KTEX has a short-ish runway, but the airport elevation is what makes it a challenge - it’s almost two miles above sea level.

KEYW is a great destination (especially with the Orbx addon) with a runway that’s only 5076 feet.

These two certainly aren’t serviced by tubeliners, but LFLJ in Courchevel, France and VNLK in Lukla, Nepal are a two mountainside airports that will definitely test your skill. I’m not sure about Courchevel, but Lukla has scheduled service with small t-prop twins like the Twin Otter and Let L410.

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London City is just under 5000ft, and has a quite steep approach at 5.5 degrees. It’s the only notable thing about it though, I think.

Shortest I could find at work, with an out of date database, is SCSN, at 2625ft. It has procedures, and an ILS.

LSGC looks fun. Right on the France/Switzerland border, surrounded by hilly terrain. 3576ft long.

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You could make it a charter-type scenario and put it down on one of a few thousand fields in the US alone. But as far as realistic, scheduled service for 737s in the US:

  • Key West (KEYW): 5076’ x 100’
  • Unalaska (Dutch Harbor) (PADU): 4500’ x 100’
  • Tweed-New Haven (KHVN): 5600’ x 150’
  • Jackson Hole (KJAC): 6300’ x 150’ - high elevation
  • Burbank (KBUR): 8/26 is 5802’ x 150’
  • Renton (KRNT), where the things are made: 5382’ x 200’
  • Other, longer runways that have challenging approaches, often in high elevation/mountainous areas are KEGE, KBZN, KMSO, KGPI, KTVL (historically).
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The Caribbean is full of short runways.

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In northern Norway you have some challenging approaches and short runways.
Too short for B737 though. But there are several airports under 1.000 meters way which are served by Dash-8.
I’ve done a few landings up there in PA31 and B200 IRL. Weather is usually not at it’s best either :grinning: north of the polar circle (especially not in the winter).

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There’s also Castlegar (CYCG). It’s 5300 x 150 but it’s deep down in a valley with mountains on both ends of the runway. One end of the runway also has power lines. PWA used to fly 737-200s there. Not sure how many 737s operate into there these days though.

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LESO San Sebastian 5755ft, many 319/320 land here. (Addon made by MK Studios)

LFLJ Courchevel 1759ft, was operate years ago on Dash 7 from Paris. (Asobo addon)

LFMN Nice 8622ft, long runway but really challenging and beautiful approach on 22R (RNP+VPT). 04L challenging too when visibility >10km. Emirates operate A380 here. (Asobo addon)

LFLP Annecy 5348ft. As liner, Fokker 28 and ATR were flying here. A 727 lands one time. No ILS, only RNP or NDB approach with angle 3.5 or 5.3 depend of the QFU. (Addon made by LLH or BMW)

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There’s no way you’ll land a 737 on that, or any jet for that matter.

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Screenshot (931)
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PWA a Canadian Classic

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Hold my beer…

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I just did some flying at EKVG far in the north and constantly cloudy with strong winds. The scenery is not very high res though.

Also departed LIPV once, which is a grass strip east of Venice. Even though I don’t think 737 could serve unpaved runways.

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The 737-200 had a special “gravel kit” that could be installed to allow it to operate on soft fields. The last of them was only recently retired by the airline Canadian North.

Here’s Boeing landing one on grass in CYHE during type certification testing of the mod:

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Yeah that’s true, and I liked those landing gears. Though I don’t think that would be possible for the NG series since their engine clearance is too low.

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For Colorado (my home state) airports, KTEX (Telluride) definitely doesn’t have 737s land there, and KASE (Aspen) can accommodate only CRJs and similar. But as stated above, “hold my [beverage]”.

I do believe that nearby KEGE (Eagle/Vail) does have full-sizers land there. It’s a fun approach with mountains and an LDA (Offset) ILS.

Also recommend three of MSFS Built-In Landing Challenges: MHTG (Tegucigalpa Honduras), VQPR (Paro, Bhutan) and LXGB (Gibraltar). Those are all set up with Airbuses…you can try the challenges and see which you want to try “for real” in your 736.

(I tried landing a 747-8i at KEB (Nanwelek Alaska). It went as well as expected. :slight_smile: )

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Anyone remember this?

The pilots used the wrong runway, which was 7700’…

“The board’s investigation found that a confusing notice to pilots – known as a Notice to Airmen or NOTAM – led the crew to wrongly believe the longer of the two runways in Halifax – Runway 23 – was not available for landing. As a result, they planned to land on Runway 14, which is 2,347 metres long.”

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