One airport stands out as the toughest place on Earth for a pilot to bring an aircraft down safely — and only around 50 pilots worldwide are even qualified to attempt it.
That airport is Paro International Airport (PBH) in Bhutan, the country’s only international gateway for visitors arriving from abroad.
Set within the Himalayas, Paro sits in a narrow valley ringed by peaks reaching about 18,000ft. Those mountains fall away sharply to reveal a short runway far below, creating an approach that leaves little room for error.
The arrival is considered so demanding that the landing is typically left to the captain alone. First officers and other co-pilots can’t simply “have a go” — the requirements involve extensive experience and significant simulator time before they’re permitted anywhere near the controls on the real approach.
One reason so few pilots are certified for Paro is the precise route required to reach the runway. The approach includes rapid turns through mountain valleys and an unnervingly low pass over nearby houses before the runway is even visible.
To qualify, pilots must first log at least 1,500 hours of standard flight time, then add a further 500 hours focused specifically on mountain flying.
Even then, they aren’t cleared to attempt it solo until a senior captain has watched them complete at least 30 landings at Paro — following many more training runs and simulator sessions in which they may not touch the controls during the critical phases.
Mountain terrain forces crews to manage tight terrain clearance while maintaining strong situational awareness, and conditions can shift rapidly. Weather changes and crosswinds can arrive with little warning.
Those risks are amplified in the final minutes of the Paro approach, which is why the airport restricts operations to daylight hours and can impose short-notice closures during the windiest periods.
The above video shows the terrifying perspective of a cargo transport plane attempting to land at Paro Airport in 2021.
Anyone know the runway? Indonesian registered aircraft but I don’t recognise it 🤔 pic.twitter.com/42OQracYRl
— Matt Dearden (@IndoPilot) August 4, 2021
As stomach-churning as cockpit footage can be — particularly the sharp turn and the close sweep over mountaintop homes — Paro is widely regarded as far safer than its reputation suggests.
There has never been a fatal crash at Paro International Airport, a record often credited to strict qualification standards and tightly controlled procedures. Captain Chimi Dorji previously explained the distinction to CNN Travel.
He said that Paro is ‘difficult, but not dangerous’.
“It is challenging on the skill of the pilot, but it’s not dangerous, because if it were dangerous, I wouldn’t be flying,” he shared.
With thousands of hours and the highly specific preparation required, a properly trained pilot can land there consistently. Captain Dorji said:
“In Paro, you really need to have the local skills and local knowledge area competence.
“We call it area competence training or area training or route training from flying from anywhere into Paro.”
And for anyone wondering why the airport wasn’t built somewhere less extreme: Bhutan’s geography doesn’t offer many easy alternatives. It is considered the most mountainous country in the world, with around 97 percent of its land covered by mountains.