Situated at ‘the rooftop of the world’, the Himalayan nation of Bhutan is home to one of the most challenging airports anywhere on Earth.
Paro is nestled in a valley 7,332ft (2,235m) above sea level surrounded by 18,000ft 5,500m) mountains. Being such harsh terrain, unsurprisingly it remains the sole international airport for the small landlocked country of 750,000 citizens.
When first built in 1968, it was merely an airstrip used primarily for helicopter operations by India’s Armed Forces on behalf of Bhutan. The spot chosen for the airport provided a suitable site for runway. The Bhutanese government initially requested the airstrip should be capable of receiving short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft capable of carrying 18 to 20 passengers as well as the ability to fly at high service ceilings with good manoeuvrability.
Types operating at the site were requested to be able to fly from Kolkata (India) to Paro and back without refuelling due to minimal infrastructure in the remote country. The newly constructed runway measured only 3,900ft (1,200m) and flight tests between 1978 and 1980 deemed no suitable aircraft available for requirements.
In 1983, state-owned airline Druk Air began services. T…
