The World’s Most Dangerous Airport

30 Dec 2011 by Albi P in Travel, Very Cool, World

Related Posts

• Airline Crew Refuse To Fly 747 With Words ‘Bye-Bye’ Written On Fuselage
• Blackouts Are Actually Causing Flight Delays in SA Now
• Great To Watch: Halle Berry’s Husband Cleans Wannabe Paparazzi At Airport [Video]
• You Know You’re Tight For Space When Traffic Has To Wait For Planes To Take Off [Video]
• It's Not A Good Idea To Name Your Wi-Fi Network 'Al Qaeda' At American Airports

When you think of an airport you’re likely to conjure up images of wide open spaces, cordoned off for kilometres, free of any midair obstacles, and normally you’d be right on the money. However, perched between two 6km mountains, Paro Airport in Bhutan is anything but normal.

Situated 2.4km above sea level in the Himalayas, Paro Airport is nestled between sheer cliffs and is said to be one of the most dangerous airports in the world. The runway is just shy of 2km long, one of the only in the world which is shorter than its elevation above sea level.

Nestled between the mountains

Takeoff and landing at the airport are particularly daunting; strong winds whip between the peaks and through the valleys, resulting in severe, unpredictable turbulence, that have to be compensated for while weaving through the dozens of houses scattered across the mountainside. It’s no surprise then that there are only 8 pilots in the world qualified to land there. As one flier put it,

‘Goodness gracious!! I thought this kind of landing would’ve been possible only in FlightSim, because aviation safety rules would’ve disallowed it – especially seeing how close the aircraft gets to the hill.’

Relieved passengers disembark

Due to the incredibly challenging circumstances flights are only permitted during daylight hours. Despite this, the airport still receives more than 30 000 travellers a year, many of them holiday-makers.

[Source: Business Insider, Daily Mail]

 

• ← Fire Breaks Out At LMFAO Concert [PICS]
• Ridiculous New Year SMSs – Post Yours Here (Works On Mobile) →

• Most Read

  • Today
  • 48 Hours
  • This Week
  • - Update On Engen Garage Killing – The Plot Thickens
  • - Everyone Thinks Makhaya Ntini Is Broke
  • - Wednesday Morning Spice
  • - Taylor Swift Taunts Nude Photo Hackers To Run At Her
  • - Shocking – Panama Gunman Performs Hit In Fast Food Restaurant [Video]
  • - Three Dead In Stellenbosch Golf Estate Attack
  • - Update On Engen Garage Killing – The Plot Thickens
  • - Dad Schools Racist Bullies On Social Media – Immediate Success [Video]
  • - Teacher Body Slammed WWE Style After Taking Student’s Phone [Video]
  • - Everyone Thinks Makhaya Ntini Is Broke
  • - GARDENS ENGEN SHOOTING: Guy Has A Smoke And A Coke After Gunning Down Man
  • - Three Dead In Stellenbosch Golf Estate Attack
  • - WATCH: Video Of Engen Killer
  • - Update On Engen Garage Killing – The Plot Thickens
  • - Formula 1 Is Coming Back To South Africa
• 
• 

• 2oceansvibe Partners

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

• 

• Finance

  Brent Crude Oil	48.64	-0.96 ( -1.94%)
  Euro / Rand	13.05	0.00 ( 0.00%)
  Pound / Rand	17.50	0.00 ( 0.05%)
  GOLD	1282.50	-1.21 ( -0.09%)
  Dollar / Rand	11.58	0.00 ( 0.05%)

  Brought to you by
• 
• 

• #1 Cloud Accounting Software

  
  

• Play Overseas Lotteries

  
• 
• HANDY LINKS
  
  Get a US iTunes Account
  No credit card required
  
  Cane Furniture Cape Town
  Hand-made in Malawi
  
  Cape Town Free Wi-Fi
  Free wi-fi hotspots in Cape Town