This BAe 146 Avro is not taking off from a ‘normal’ airport. It’s not normal to have ground proximity sensors going off during this sequence of flight, but given the circumstances, there is good reason why they do. Bhutan’s Paro airport has a field elevation of 7,200 feet and the peaks around there top out at 18,000 feet.
It is considered one of the world’s most challenging airports to operate in. Due to the challenge because of the surrounding terrain and lack of ILS, the airport is only open from sunrise to sunset under VFR flight rules only.
Runways 15 and 33 are just over 6,500 feet long (2000 meters). Operating out of La Paz, Bolivia also has it’s challenges due to high altitude flying, but lacks the terrain hazards.
It’s enough to give any pilot a serious dry mouth.
Apparently, as of 2009, only eight pilots in the world are certified to land at this airport!
