Weather just one test pilots face at 'world’s most dangerous airport'
A dozen crashes and many close calls have been reported at this airport, which is situated near the foot of one of the world's most famous natural wonders -- and features one of the most unique runways you'll ever see.
By
Zachary Rosenthal, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Mar 28, 2022 5:00 AM EST
|
Updated Mar 29, 2022 4:34 AM EST
Tenzing–Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla Airport, is a small airport in the town of Lukla, in Khumbu, Solukhumbu District, Nepal. (Getty)
Lukla Airport, known officially as Tenzing Hillary Airport, is arguably the most dangerous airport in the entire world. The runway rests on a hillside in the town of Lukla, Nepal, providing striking views of the Himalayas but also a great sense of danger.
The airport was built in 1964 under the supervision of famed Everest climber Sir Edmund Hilary, who was the first to reach the summit of Everest alongside Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. With Everest's connection to the airport, it is unsurprising that flying into Lukla is the first stop for those preparing to hike Mount Everest, as many consider it the starting point for the journey to Everest's Base Camp.
Like the mountain itself, though, the airport's unique quirks and the rapidly-changing weather make it one of the most dangerous of its kind in the world, with more than 12 crashes reported at the airport since it was constructed in 1964.
Lukla Airport rests at 2,860 meters (9,383 ft) high, which actually places it outside the world's 10 highest airports. Even so, Lukla airport is high enough to cause pilots to have trouble. At higher elevations, the air density is lower, meaning planes need to fly faster to maintain altitude.
This is especially problematic at Lukla, as the runway is extraordinarily short -- just 1,729 feet long. A typical international airport has a runway over 10,000 feet.
To make up for the runway's size, it is graded at almost 12% to help planes slow down. Still, it takes great skill to successfully land a plane at Lukla. Pilots need to have completed 100 short-takeoff-and-landing missions, have at least one year of experience flying in the mountainous nation of Nepal and have completed 10 flights into Lukla with an instructor, according to reporting from Forbes.
Training is important because there are no radar or navigation devices, so pilots rely on solely their eyesight to stick the landing, which has to be nearly perfect, as there is no room for error on either side of the runway.
"Flying into the Lukla airport was one of the most thrilling flights of my life, and I'm so glad that I had a window seat," said Ryan Van Duzer, a vlogger who made the trip to the airport in 2017, told AccuWeather. "I'd heard stories that the takeoff and landing can be rough, but it was smooth sailing."
Duzer's video gives viewers a brief tour of the airport, from its cramped, pastel waiting room full of prospective Everest hikers to the small tea stall inside the airport, while also showing what is like to be inside a plane that is taking off from Lukla. Travelers staying the night in Lukla can find numerous hotels and lodges to stay in, including Lukla Airport Resort, which is just a few steps away from the runway.
Nepalese look at a helicopter that crashed in Lukla, Nepal, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013. The helicopter crashed while attempting to land near Mount Everest on Thursday, injuring all four people on board, Nepalese police said. (AP Photo)
Despite the intense training, accidents are still rather common, and some have even been caught on camera. The most notable of the dozen or so accidents that have occurred at Lukla was the crash of Yeti Airlines Flight 103 in October 2008, which killed all 16 passengers on board and two of the three crew members. Only the pilot survived the crash, which was blamed on a combination of fog and pilot error.
Since the 2008 crash, there have been at least four other incidents at the airport, killing at least five crew members. Following the crashes, the airport's runway, which was not even paved until 2001, was made safer in 2019 with the installation of runway lights.
The weather plays a significant role in landings at Lukla. During the monsoon season in Nepal, which runs from June to August, about 50% of flights get canceled because of low visibility, according to reporting from Simple Flying.
The latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Travel
Weather just one test pilots face at 'world’s most dangerous airport'
A dozen crashes and many close calls have been reported at this airport, which is situated near the foot of one of the world's most famous natural wonders -- and features one of the most unique runways you'll ever see.
By Zachary Rosenthal, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Mar 28, 2022 5:00 AM EST | Updated Mar 29, 2022 4:34 AM EST
Tenzing–Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla Airport, is a small airport in the town of Lukla, in Khumbu, Solukhumbu District, Nepal. (Getty)
Lukla Airport, known officially as Tenzing Hillary Airport, is arguably the most dangerous airport in the entire world. The runway rests on a hillside in the town of Lukla, Nepal, providing striking views of the Himalayas but also a great sense of danger.
The airport was built in 1964 under the supervision of famed Everest climber Sir Edmund Hilary, who was the first to reach the summit of Everest alongside Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. With Everest's connection to the airport, it is unsurprising that flying into Lukla is the first stop for those preparing to hike Mount Everest, as many consider it the starting point for the journey to Everest's Base Camp.
Like the mountain itself, though, the airport's unique quirks and the rapidly-changing weather make it one of the most dangerous of its kind in the world, with more than 12 crashes reported at the airport since it was constructed in 1964.
Lukla Airport rests at 2,860 meters (9,383 ft) high, which actually places it outside the world's 10 highest airports. Even so, Lukla airport is high enough to cause pilots to have trouble. At higher elevations, the air density is lower, meaning planes need to fly faster to maintain altitude.
This is especially problematic at Lukla, as the runway is extraordinarily short -- just 1,729 feet long. A typical international airport has a runway over 10,000 feet.
To make up for the runway's size, it is graded at almost 12% to help planes slow down. Still, it takes great skill to successfully land a plane at Lukla. Pilots need to have completed 100 short-takeoff-and-landing missions, have at least one year of experience flying in the mountainous nation of Nepal and have completed 10 flights into Lukla with an instructor, according to reporting from Forbes.
Training is important because there are no radar or navigation devices, so pilots rely on solely their eyesight to stick the landing, which has to be nearly perfect, as there is no room for error on either side of the runway.
"Flying into the Lukla airport was one of the most thrilling flights of my life, and I'm so glad that I had a window seat," said Ryan Van Duzer, a vlogger who made the trip to the airport in 2017, told AccuWeather. "I'd heard stories that the takeoff and landing can be rough, but it was smooth sailing."
Duzer's video gives viewers a brief tour of the airport, from its cramped, pastel waiting room full of prospective Everest hikers to the small tea stall inside the airport, while also showing what is like to be inside a plane that is taking off from Lukla. Travelers staying the night in Lukla can find numerous hotels and lodges to stay in, including Lukla Airport Resort, which is just a few steps away from the runway.
Nepalese look at a helicopter that crashed in Lukla, Nepal, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013. The helicopter crashed while attempting to land near Mount Everest on Thursday, injuring all four people on board, Nepalese police said. (AP Photo)
Despite the intense training, accidents are still rather common, and some have even been caught on camera. The most notable of the dozen or so accidents that have occurred at Lukla was the crash of Yeti Airlines Flight 103 in October 2008, which killed all 16 passengers on board and two of the three crew members. Only the pilot survived the crash, which was blamed on a combination of fog and pilot error.
Since the 2008 crash, there have been at least four other incidents at the airport, killing at least five crew members. Following the crashes, the airport's runway, which was not even paved until 2001, was made safer in 2019 with the installation of runway lights.
The weather plays a significant role in landings at Lukla. During the monsoon season in Nepal, which runs from June to August, about 50% of flights get canceled because of low visibility, according to reporting from Simple Flying.
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The latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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