Why don’t planes fly over the Tibet Autonomous Region?

The Tibet Autonomous Region is a provincial-level mountainous region of the People’s Republic of China. Flightradar is a web application for viewing flight information on an online map. When we study this application, we see that there are no planes flying over Tibet.

So what is the reason for this situation? Also known as the “Roof of the World”, Tibet has mountains of considerable height. This makes it impossible for aircraft to fly over the area. Let’s look at the details together.

Planes do not fly over the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China

The reason for this situation is not as mysterious or scary as the Bermuda Triangle. It is dangerous for aircraft to fly here for purely technical and scientific reasons, such as the extreme height of the mountain range in the region.

Processes such as flight route planning, operational changes and emergencies are quite complex.

Flight rules require the plane to descend to 10,000 feet in an emergency before oxygen runs out. But Tibet is huge and it’s almost impossible to get out of the area until the emergency oxygen runs out. No airline takes risks in such situations, which can be dangerous during the flight. The only airline that has developed convenient evacuation routes through Tibet is Cathay Pacific.

In fact, there is no need for flying.

Another main reason for the lack of air service over the Tibetan Plateau is that there is no need for such a flight. Because there are no frequent flights between India and China. If this were the case, some flights would probably be through Tibet. Although India and China are neighbors, they have completely different cultures. For this reason, the number of passengers traveling between China and India is very low.

Another reason planes don’t fly over Tibet is outdoor turbulence over the peaks.

Outdoor turbulence is turbulence that you cannot see. This is usually associated with jet streams or unstable air pockets. The disruption of airflow created by mountains creates very wobbly eddies for aircraft. The only way to predict outdoor turbulence is from the experience of other aircraft. Since there are no flights in the Tibetan Plateau, it is impossible to predict outdoor turbulence.

Despite everything, there are airports in this region.

Despite all the above reasons, there are still airports in this region. One of them is Paro Airport in Bhutan. The strip on which Paro is located is so dangerous that only eight pilots on the planet can land here. This valley, surrounded by 5,500-meter hills at an altitude of 2.4 km above sea level, is known for its strong turbulence. However, 30,000 tourists use this airport every year.

Source: 1