Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport — Funchal, Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, which now carries the code FNC, took its present name in 2017 to honor Madeira's most famous native son, the footballer whose statue and museum both stand elsewhere on the island. Long before the renaming, the airport built a reputation for a runway once too short, ending abruptly near seaside cliffs. Engineers addressed the problem in the early 2000s by extending the runway on a platform supported by hundreds of concrete columns driven into the sea, a solution that won international engineering recognition. Mountainous terrain around Funchal and gusting winds still make the approach demanding, and FNC often appears on lists of the world's more challenging airports for pilots. The airport remains the sole air gateway to Madeira, funneling in the vast majority of the archipelago's tourists, wine buyers, and returning residents.