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With surrounding peaks as high as 18000 ft (5486.4 m) it is considered to be "one of the world's most challenging airports". Flights at Paro are allowed under visual meteorological conditions only and are restricted to daylight hours (sunrise to sunset). According to Travel & Leisure, only eight pilots in the world are certified to land at the airport. There is currently only one other airstrip in the country, Yongphulla Airport in Trashigang District, re-construction of which is still not complete. The Royal Bhutanese Government's five year plan (which covers 2008-2013) includes the building of at least two further domestic airstrips at Bathpalathang in Bumthang District, and at Gelephu in Sarpang District. The second international airport project, which was planned for construction at the Gelephu site, was downgraded to a domestic airport project in October 2008. The Bhutanese Department of Civil Aviation indicated in January 2010, that the domestic airport at Gelephu may have provisions to be expanded into an 'all weather' airport, capable of receiving international traffic in the future. Construction is due to start in late 2010, with the airport is due to start operations in June 2011. |
