Lukla - The most dangerous airport in the world.

Hey all,

So I thought I'd post my first Dtube video and do a little article on Lukla, the most dangerous airport in the world.

In 2008, in honour of Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay, the first to summit Mount Everest, the airport was renamed to Tenzing–Hillary Airport. We travelled to this airport this year as part of our trek to Everest base camp. We had heard and read a lot about the airport, but it really does have to be seen to be believed.

The runway itself is on a 12% incline and sits at 2845m above sea level, making it one of the highest in the world. The incline, of course, helps the planes to stop on landing and build up speed for takeoff. The runway itself is only 527m long so they need all the help they can get.

^{Downhill all the way}

Flights are only able to land during daylight hours and pilots have to be specially trained in order to land there as it is a blind approach with a sharp bank to the right just before landing.

^{View from the airport "terminal"}

The airport itself is something to behold - basically a small room by the side of the taxiway. There are no departure boards - you have to look out of the window to see your plane arrive to collect you and then make a dash for the departure gate. It's more like a bus depot than an airport.

All in all, it was an amazing (and not too scary really) experience!!

Thanks for reading folks, hope you enjoy the video

Mark

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