Tenzing–Hillary Airport in eastern Nepal, also known as Lukla Airport, is notorious for being the world’s most dangerous airport. Despite this, the airport is popular due to it’s proximity to Katmandu, where most climbers begin their ascent up Mount Everest.
On Sunday, 14 April, a small passenger plane carrying skidded across the tarmac and crashed into a parked helicopter. Three people – the pilot of the plane and two police officers standing near the helicopter – were killed. The airport suspended its services as a result.
In addition to the fatalities, three other people sustained injuries as a result of the crash. They were airlifted by helicopter to Kathmandu.
The aircrafts involved belonged to private companies that transport locals, climbers and tourists to the remote Everest region.
The short runway (527m) has a 600m drop at the end of it. The airport’s altitude stands at 2,845m, giving pilots little time for descent before landing. The runway is surrounded by mountains, making takeoff and landing very tricky.
Unpredictable weather, no navigation aids and no night operations all contribute to the danger of this airport. Watch to see an airplane landing at the infamous airport here.
Footage of the crash was captured on CCTV footage, below:
Image: Twitter @ishor999
