India's 100th airport

[beamender99]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-45624436

The state's first airport at Pakyong, some 30km (18 miles) from the state capital, Gangtok, and carved out of a mountainside has been described as an "engineering marvel".

[Daysleeper]

Pretty looking place isn't it.
That said a painful looking over-run and doesn't look like any EMAS either with non-precision approaches 7,000 ft plus density altitudes in summer and in monsoon territory as well.

[Pilot DAR]

'Might be a little challenging in a gusty crosswind, but looks pretty....

[Lonewolf_50]

I suppose that during the monsoon season, one will need to check the NOTAMS to see if "due to mud slide, first 600 feet of runway closed" alert is active.

The weather - Sikkim gets monsoon rains from April to September - hindered work.

[The Ancient Geek]

The BBC article says 1750 metres so not jet territory. The terminal can handle about 100 pax so almost certainly turboprop VMC only operations.

[cats_five]

It shows on Google Earth, from when in construction but fairly close to completion - the piano keys are there, the centre line, but lots of mess around it.

[scifi]

Can't see any Passenger Car-Parking areas, or any roads... Do they mean 100 passengers per day...?

[fokker1000]

Maybe they can give it CAT C+ status!!!!!! Thin I might take the Land Rover or a Yak to get there personally.. However, it does look beautifully built.

[RoyHudd]

Clearly lethal

[Out Of Trim]

Looks beautiful, but I wouldn't fancy going off piste! :ooh:

[packapoo]

Looks to be plenty of scope there....:oh:

[Flying Clog]

Looks beautiful, but I wouldn't fancy going off piste! :ooh:

Yup, this is India, I give it about a month before that happens.

[evansb]

Doesn't appear to be any itinerant automobile parking. My guess is that a shuttle transport (motor coach) will be utilized from a car park situated from an area below the elevation of the aerodrome. Well, that would be a good idea, would it not?

[Wannabe Flyer]

Seems to be Q-400 & ATR territory to start with. That narrows it down to 3 players (Air India, Spice & Indigo). Doubt they will need much parking as capacity is 500,000 pax a year. With 3 airlines flying in only at max capacity it seems 216 per day is about the maximum flow they will see for a while. Government seems to be paying airlines for empty seats to ensure connectivity so they are forecasting a 50% occupancy. Either way looking nice & will add a tourist spot to the north east which has some yummy food & the Ghost chilli

[evansb]

Yearly airport passenger statistics are meaningless. If two (2) Bombardier Q400 airliners arrive within 5 minutes at Pakyong, can the airport infrastructure handle the requirements of the deplaning passengers? Can both airliners be refueled, cleaned and catered within 30 minutes of their ETD's? The aforementioned questions are basic "Airport 101" pupil challenges.

[scifi]

I can imaging the ATIS.... Clouds, few at minus 1000 feet, broken at plus 1500 feet..
Would love to visit there..

[fox niner]

Nice. Another runway 20-02, in combination with mountains, in a South Asian location.

[Wannabe Flyer]

Yearly airport passenger statistics are meaningless. If two (2) Bombardier Q400 airliners arrive within 5 minutes at Pakyong, can the airport infrastructure handle the requirements of the deplaning passengers? Can both airliners be refueled, cleaned and catered within 30 minutes of their ETD's? The aforementioned questions are basic "Airport 101" pupil challenges.
That is what is going to happen every time given schedules & weather windows

[golfyankeesierra]

Doesn't appear to be any itinerant automobile parking. My guess is that a shuttle transport (motor coach) will be utilized from a car park situated from an area below the elevation of the aerodrome. Well, that would be a good idea, would it not?
Don’t think anything larger then a van will be able to turn in front of that building. Either they totally forgot about road transport or perhaps they built a garage underneath the runway.. :)

[sleeper]

I dont't know how wide the runway is, but the proximity of the mountainslope at the runway end doesn't really allow for a large wingspan or slight deviation off centerline.��

[cats_five]

Don’t think anything larger then a van will be able to turn in front of that building. Either they totally forgot about road transport or perhaps they built a garage underneath the runway.. :)

The Wikipedia suggests there is parking for 80 cars but doesn't say where.

[nicolai]

Seems to be Q-400 & ATR territory to start with. That narrows it down to 3 players (Air India, Spice & Indigo).

Also Druk Air from next year using their ATRs: https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/280077/drukair-plans-pakyong-launch-in-1q19/

[beamender99]

Fact check on the number of India's airports
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-45640646