Stunning video of landing at Lukla – the world’s most dangerous airport

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May 30, 2022
Lukla

It is the world’s most dangerous airport and it’s called Lukla and it is in Nepal.

Perched at 2,800m (9,200ft) on a tiny outcrop of relatively “flatland” nestled amongst the world’s tallest mountains Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla, Nepal tests even the most confident flyers.

It was built in 1964 under the supervision of famous mountain climber and New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary.

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It was intended to build it on farmlands, but locals did not want to give up their previous flatlands.

The airport can only handle helicopters and small, aircraft such as Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porters, DHC-6 Twin Otters and Dornier Do 228s.

The single runway is 527 m (1,729 ft) long with a huge 11.7 per cent gradient.

It is located at a height of 9,334 ft (2,845 m).

For pilots, there is no chance of a go-around on a short final due to the terrain ahead.

Before pilots can land at Lukla they must have completed at least 100 short-takeoff-and-landing flights (STOL) and have one year of STOL experience in Nepal and have completed ten missions into Lukla with a certified instructor pilot before they can land at the airport.

Sadly, however, there have been many crashes and serious incidents and for this reason, this website does not safety rate any airline that operates in these regions.

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