Qamdo Bangda Airport
Encyclopedia
Qamdo Bamda Airport also known as Bangda Airport, located in Bangda, Qamdo
, Tibet
, is the highest airport
in the world, at an elevation
of 4334 metres (14,219 ft). Runway 14/32 is the longest publicly used runway in the world, at 5500 m (18,045 ft) (or 3.42 miles).
The low air density at this altitude
makes a higher takeoff and landing true airspeed
necessary, and therefore a longer runway. The airport is 2.5 hours by mountain road from the county seat
of Chamdu/Changdu/Qamdo. The long commute is the result of no flat land closer to the city being available to construct an airport.
Visitors are warned before landing to move slowly on leaving the plane and that they may feel light headed or dizzy because of the thin air.
However, Bangda will surrender its title of being the highest airport in the world. China is planning to build one at Nagqu
at an elevation of 4,436 metres (14,500 ft). The construction is planned to start in 2011 and take three years to complete.
Qamdo Prefecture
Qamdo Prefecture is a subnational entity in the eastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, containing the town of Qamdo...
, Tibet
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
, is the highest airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in the world, at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 4334 metres (14,219 ft). Runway 14/32 is the longest publicly used runway in the world, at 5500 m (18,045 ft) (or 3.42 miles).
The low air density at this altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
makes a higher takeoff and landing true airspeed
True airspeed
True airspeed of an aircraft is the speed of the aircraft relative to the airmass in which it is flying. True airspeed is important information for accurate navigation of an aircraft.-Performance:...
necessary, and therefore a longer runway. The airport is 2.5 hours by mountain road from the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Chamdu/Changdu/Qamdo. The long commute is the result of no flat land closer to the city being available to construct an airport.
Visitors are warned before landing to move slowly on leaving the plane and that they may feel light headed or dizzy because of the thin air.
However, Bangda will surrender its title of being the highest airport in the world. China is planning to build one at Nagqu
Nagqu Dagring Airport
Nagqu Dagring Airport is an airport scheduled for construction near Nagqu in the Nagqu Prefecture of Tibet. When completed in 2014 it will be the highest airport in the world at , replacing Qamdo Bangda Airport as the highest. Construction will begin in 2011 and is scheduled to take three years...
at an elevation of 4,436 metres (14,500 ft). The construction is planned to start in 2011 and take three years to complete.
See also
- List of airports in the People's Republic of China
- El Alto International AirportEl Alto International AirportEl Alto International Airport is an international airport located south west of La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia.The airport is located in the city of El Alto and has served since the first half of the 20th century, but was modernized in the late 1960s, when its runway was lengthened and a new...
(AMSL 13,325') - List of statistically superlative objects by country
- Extreme points of Earth