Cockpit Flight Challenge - Paro to Kathmandu over Himalayas

Flying out of Paro, Bhutan on Bhutan Airlines A319 to Kathmandu, Nepal all the way in the cockpit. Watch the exciting departure out of Paro by climbing out of many mountain surroundings.
The flight is just 40 minutes across the Himalayas but it is one of the most challenging flight to operate with many restrictions and flow control.
Watch this video to see the challenge out of Bhutan and flying into Kathmandu. Enjoy the exciting cockpit footage on takeoff and landing.
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Join us for this special video, the third in a series highlighting the perils, delights and excellent views experienced flying between Nepal and Bhutan, making use of Kathmandu Airport and also the famous Paro airport, where only trained captains are permitted to take off and land due to the challenging geography of the airport, which sees Paro airport at the bottom of a deep valley surrounded by the tallest mountains in the world, the Himalayas.
See part one of the series, our amazing flight from Kathmandu airport to Paro airport here: • The World's Most Dange...
See part two of the series, consisting of an extended and highly enjoyable plane spotting session at Paro airport here: • World's Most Extreme P...
In this video, we fly back to Kathmandu airport from Paro airport on Bhutan airlines. Before saying goodbye to Paro in Bhutan, we take a moment to admire the very beautiful and unique decoration of the passenger terminal of the remote Paro airport with its polished, wooden check in counters each with a different, intricately patterned artwork attached - the passenger terminal building was constructed back in 1999 and retains, to this day, a lot of unique and aged character which you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
We also take the opportunity to explore the business class lounge of Paro airport; despite the airport’s remote location, there is still a fantastic selection of food and drink available.
Up in the air, we are once again in the hands of an expertly trained captain, the highly competent Captain Senga, letting us relax and enjoy the stunning views of the mountains and clouds. We also have the opportunity to sample the onboard hospitality of Bhutan airlines, with a free hot towel and provided snack, some delicious hot sausage rolls, to keep us ticking over on our short flight.
Particular viewing highlights in the video include a breath-taking view of Mount Kangchenjunga, which stands at 8,586 metres tall, the third tallest mountain in the world, and a magnificent view of Paro airport shortly after departure, showing how it is deeply sunk in to its surrounding valley.
We have a little bit more time to admire the view as we are held circling in the air, 50 kilometres south of Kathmandu airport due to traffic congestion. Kathmandu airport only has nine parking stands for 42 international airlines and has only a single, bumpy, concrete runway meaning that traffic congestion at the airport is often a problem.
There is also no instrument landing system available at Kathmandu airport (also known as Tribhuvan International Airport) and we have an in-depth discussion and educational insight from the Captain surrounding the consequences of this - when flying in to Kathmandu airport, it is necessary to make use of the VOR or RNAV (RNP) approach system. The Kathmandu viewer has a non-precision approach, with the required visibility at the airport normally being a minimum of 3000 feet. Between December and February, visibility coming in to Kathmandu airport is often less than this, making things extra challenging for pilots trying to land there.
We hope you enjoyed the flight from Paro to Kathmandu - let us know what you thought of the whole exciting journey in the comments below and as always, thanks for watching!

[@chelseahwang3515]

The co-pilot is my dad. CONGRATS DAD!

[@aatitrai8296]

Wow

[@mimimi84484]

your dad is amazingggg

[@SamiKhan-zs7go]

Wow really nice congrats 👏🏻 bless

[@jambaygyeltshen5676]

Nice joke

[@ryeonn.3318]

Welcome to the cap store, here we sell all different kinds of caps for free👒🧢🎓🎩👑⛑

[@nickm__2501]

I’ve been visited Nepal in October 2019. Gorgeous country, amazing landscapes and people! With love from Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@Lakshyamahaseth]

Thank you bro. Love from nepal.

[@dattebayo8957]

Thank you 😊❤️ Hope you will visit again 🇳🇵🇳🇵 Lots of love♥️

[@chasedream5630]

❤️ from 🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵

[@arniko.p3758]

Thanks bro 🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵

[@harihardahal2909]

I love ukraine

[@milawangchuk6169]

The captains my dad. IM PROUD OF YOU DAD!

[@mrjrayyan7085]

Ooo beliau mu kah pilot tu...bah kirim salam ya sama bapa mu

[@bung1976]

@@mrjrayyan7085 kirim salam sama anaknya bah

[@christophertamewas6899]

No stop enjoying our minds

[@wellingtonaviationchannel634]

@crannkee55 It is saying "Retard" telling the pilot to pull the thrust levels (throttles) to idle for touchdown

[@wellingtonaviationchannel634]

@crannkee55 algd :)

[@nycflyertravel]

The Paro airport is gorgeous! I love when airports incorporate elements of the local culture into their design!

[@SamChui]

Yes very unique!

[@projectzorgo1431]

@@SamChui it is true

[@sreedevipushpakrishnan1188]

Cochin International Airport Kerala, India has been constructed incorporating traditional kerala architecture. Please try visiting kerala if possible. Its a beautiful place. 😊

[@nycflyertravel]

@@sreedevipushpakrishnan1188 YES! I actually visited Kerala a few years ago and it was wonderful! I flew out of Cochin International Airport and it was lovely! I really want to go back to India!

[@sreedevipushpakrishnan1188]

@@nycflyertravel thank you so much😊😊

[@SassyFunke]

I love the fact that you get access to the cockpit to film. THOSE VIEWS 😍😍😍

[@SamChui]

These access were sought long before the filming. I am happy the airline recognized the opportunity to document the challenging flight ops!

[@SassyFunke]

@@SamChuiGood to know. Quite hard to get access in this part of the world (Africa) for my flight reviews. I'll keep enjoying yours!

[@oeuf123456]

There’s a seat at the middle for you to film?

[@militaomenescal3328]

Me too!!!

[@Joliv23]

@@oeuf123456 Sam certainly used the jumpseat.

[@indigofella]

The Captain is very humble and how clearly he shared all the informations I really appreciate him thank you very much. May God bless you Captain 🙏🙂

[@Hallebumba]

Also he looks kinda like if Mads Mikkelsen was asian :D

[@redrow2224]

This has to be the world's most challenging flight route. You take off from one of the most dangerous airports, climb through the valleys to a flight level, stay in hold for god knows how long, get a landing clearance after you get a parking spot, approach through the high hills nearby, make final approach in low visibility, and touchdown in a bumpy runway. But,the magnificent Himalayas make this flight beautiful. More like a scenic mountain flight. Love from Nepal. Keep flying, Sam!!

[@mapguide475]

Proud moment ho? 😭

[@akaviation1874]

I love Nepal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! from JAPAN🇯🇵

[@AshishPanthee62]

Thank u bro We love Japan & Japanese too

[@SGNEPALITECH]

I love you my friend

[@abdulhersuryanangperdana2502]

I Love Nepal!!!!! This Beautiful Airport From Indonesia 🇮🇩

[@darsangurung4835]

I am Nepali and I like Japan it is my favourite country

[@hamidbhatti4952]

I love Japan!!!!! From Pakistan 🇵🇰

[@nidikhatri9359]

Love from Kathmandu, Nepal 😍😍🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵

[@TheHottestProperty]

Love from Nepal, Sam!❤️❤️❤️❤️🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵

[@flyprashant]

Oke

[@CDB2XP]

It's truly amazing, Sam! thank you for sharing with us!

[@kdubthetomatogamer7556]

I really enjoy your videos flying in and out of Nepal, Its fantastic to see a big youtuber like you give attention to a place like Kathmandu! Keey up the good work :)

[@sandy_malla]

Visit Nepal Year 2020 is on the way and airport runway is under construction Similarly 2 new International Airports are under construction out of which one will be ready for Next year. Warm Welcome from Nepal ❤️

[@SLA-yo4is]

It isnt ready till now boyy

[@sandy_malla]

@@SLA-yo4is Runway reconstruction is already completed, New international Airports are still under construction.

[@SLA-yo4is]

@@sandy_malla yes i am talking about airports too. I know they will corrupt in this thing too

[@leviack31]

@@SLA-yo4is Yup, can't agree more on the corrupt thing but the Pokhara International Airport is scheduled to be finished in 2021. Let's see what happens! And the Nijgadh one is scheduled for 2025. If it finishes within the scheduled time it will be the largest airport in Nepal and hopefully will change the scenes of Nepali Aviation in the coming future!

[@prajjwalkarki9596]

@@SLA-yo4is cause the pandemic's halting the work boy. Otherwise it would have been by now

[@j.t.thomas9242]

One of the best videos you’ve ever done! Great insight!

[@xingjianjiang3328]

Amazing view out of Paro!! Thanks Sam for sharing, kudos for all your hard work to make alll these happen!! I also found that the capitain seemed to leave their APU on during the departure, unusual bu very intersting.

[@leninvillalba402]

Excelente Video! Gracias por esa toma de todo el trayecto de aterrizaje hecho por su hija. Buen Capitán y Copiloto

[@nehaj.7973]

How amazing! Another challenging approach and what’s even better is the fact that you got to film it from the cockpit. 👍🏼

[@user-vu2iu2xo2g]

Mr. Sam thank you for your videos! Every of them very very interesting! Special thanks for Paro airport and Bhutan airlines! Continue that way I wish you good luck!

[@aidaaa16]

Sam, U r the best! I’m always among the first to watch you videos! I wish i could see u onboard a plane! 😍

[@paul509]

Hi Sam, another interesting video from you,truly a nice airport at Paro. I liked the unique check in desks decorative symbols and the airport itself.Thanks so much for sharing Sam. Safe travels and I look forward to watching your next video.☺👌👍👍

[@SamChui]

Thanks Paul for the nice compliment!

[@asheshchoudhury548]

The Bhutan series is one of the best bunch of videos on your channel. I am so happy to see the captain doing such a detailed PA, which is a boon to AV geeks. In India you hardly get to hear such PAs, 5 out of 100 maybe!

[@bindiimoments]

Love it!!! Fantastic and thank you!!! :)

[@filipetenorio58]

I did this flight twice in the same day! We couldn’t land in Kathmandu due to dense fog, so we were sent back to Paro. After 1 hour waiting in the airplane, we took off again to Kathmandu, and this time we landed successfully. Very nice video! Congrats! Btw, we had a free upgrade to business class because we were the first to check in for the flight. The flight attendants were very polite and caring.

[@Nangaroo]

Thanks for letting us sit in the cockpit with you! ☺

[@garystrankman3841]

That Bhutan airport is beautiful, fantastic woodwork and artistry!

[@AirFlightTravels]

OnE of your best videos! GREAT

[@rebzrok]

Great video, Sam! Very professional crew and staff on Bhutan Airlines.

[@rebeccawcleung]

Bhutan airlines has the most knowledgeable, friendly and awesome pilots!!! LOVED the two pilots plus Captain Changa from last video, they were sooooo cool with these difficult landings. Notes to Kathmandu airport, please lay some new tarmac on that bumpy runway!!!

[@gaimnastic]

rebeccawcleung yep the airport is under construction and will get its runway improved soon.

[@sabinkc7504]

Right now the runway is very smooth in Kathmandu airport.... thanks to our lazy government :)

[@marcusianaviation9372]

Full Power Departure! The engine sounds are so good!

[@akikom.491]

The view from the airplane is so beautiful. And the cockpit is so cool. ✈️

[@AlexWong]

Hey thank you for sharing! This looks awesome!

[@pilotpawanc]

Nice video. Loved the explanation on RNP and VOR approaches.

[@susripathy]

What an awesome captain he is...taking time to explain in detail !!

[@danellesoriano8436]

That captain was Amazing! HE's a great pilot and a good tourguide as well 💖 Cheers!

[@kennethmelchersson4190]

Very good video,, all long sequences are speedid up ,,, as runway taxi,, and long distance flight sequenses....

[@FrigidColdFlying]

Quality video. Really enjoyed it. Cheers!

[@renatomaccagni]

What an impressive flight, thanks for this great video dear Sam 🤩

[@KellyS74]

Love your videos Sam 🤗 they're always so informative 👏🏻

[@zombieboy5017]

Was the fight assistant who carry ur luggage Saroj Tamang..?😂😂😂😂

[@shuubhmore]

wow this was really amazing good job

[@rmd4209]

Awesome Lodge and awesome video

[@Eren-uq1ed]

I love your videos !

[@siddharthgera163]

That's a tear drop entry into the holding pattern!

[@sureshchandradas88]

Flying across the Himalayas is a very challenging task. Wonderful pilots you both are 👍

[@chun1310]

I enjoyed it very much.

[@esthercrystellevalentine5268]

Another awesome view and a job well done Sir Sam..hats off to the pilots..a big thanks to the wonderful stewardess and steward✋👍💜💜

[@suryaprasad8594]

wow mr sam.. you are great.. I feel visiting nepal myself... love and respect from 🇳🇵🙏

[@the-LeoKnightus]

Spectacular. I am jealous of any capt who gets to fly a route so nice.

[@rhaki8924]

Love all your videos 😊😊👍👍👍

[@FlyersAviation]

Fantastic Video Sam! Liked

[@shiranthas]

Superb video !

[@TovnaDavid]

This video is amazing. Thanks for sharing. I'm hoping to fly there one day!

[@kinleydema4728]

Visit to Bhutan la

[@DanielSadjadian]

Wow incredible footage.

[@raypich8292]

Awesome! Love from Cambodia

[@aviatorram7777]

Like before watching i really like your blog and your ideas

[@MagnarNordal]

Great video! Here are some other demanding airports. In Norway: Sandane (SDN), Ørsta-Volda (HOV), Mo i Rana (MQN) and Svolvær (SVJ). In Thailand: Mae Hong Son (HGN).

[@jagannathsubedi700]

nice video thanks you very much. Sam. I am waiting next video .

[@waichow3658]

Thats very interesting. Thanks.

[@bibhusitadhikari9390]

I am so happy. You come to Nepal. Lots of love from Nepal sam.

[@harenrussel]

Rough as guts landing lol 😂 safe landing all the same. I love these videos. Thanks everyone 💕 💐 Safe flying.

[@binodraz3106]

Nic vlog sir...love from nepal

[@moein-lifestyle]

✈️ Very nice & Dangerous Landing ✈️ You finally leave this dangerous and unfit land ✈️

[@craigwillis3372]

Glad to see you back Sam...how skilled are the pilots in this part of the world!! I am sure there are times when they have to sit on the ground due to the extreme weather and or land in extreme conditions! How was your climb of Mount Everest ?? Well done again mate and some brilliant cockpit and scenery vision!!

[@anikbhowmick1044]

Wonderful creativity ..

[@michaelmagill45]

The pictures of the mountains ae Breathe taking Wow!!

[@freebeacher]

Good job Sam. High on my list.

[@The_Gurkhas_Sniper]

Awesome Pilots and Sam love from Nepal 🇳🇵

[@pmpageni]

Nice video Sam as usual!!

[@randyporter3491]

Yet another “see Sam video..click Sam video..watch Sam video.. LOVE Sam video !” Safe skies and thank you for a beautiful ride. Many thanks to the Captain for his gracious and informative information. Love the cockpit views ! 🛫

[@_.shayne__05._]

Incredible video Sam!

[@prathamkhanal1956]

Sam Chui I'm your big fan and I love your Flying Videos. You're the one who has given us the opportunity to see the world's best flying videos. Love from Nepal 🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵

[@stradivarioushardhiantz5179]

Wow....definitely very challenging flight, considering the terrain, weather and yet the parking lot is only for 9. Reminds me airports in the highland of Papua🛫🏔

[@pritommojumder8503]

Love from Bangladesh..Come & see again... 🇧🇩

[@jonathanmejellano73]

Wooooow amazing! Please take me in one of your flights one day. I'll put this in my bucket list. Fly with Sam one day ❤️

[@mrsporty9669]

Nice report from mountain's 🌻🌄

[@fgf366]

Sam, you seem like you are a very good person...I truly enjoy your videos!...you have a new subscriber!...🙂👌👍

[@noahphilip4837]

I’m a very simple person I see Sam Chui video I click’em and watch’em

[@SamChui]

Thanks for the simplicity!

[@Msunuwakho]

Is that from 7 rings

[@Msunuwakho]

Btw wassup sam

[@quantumgaurab7169]

not only cool Bhutanese airport was actually cool ! those mountain views were so cool ..

[@TuanBui-oq9rv]

What a nice flight ! Love Sam from Vietnam ^3^

[@satyamevjayte8302]

Most unique airport checkin counter indeed. Love the style

[@usedcarsuae.]

I’m first ❤️ Your new subscriber 💕 Love from Dubai 🇦🇪🇦🇪🇦🇪

[@dennisdalessio8238]

Sam, Very interesting flight. Thanks

[@barshusmenoglu1857]

Great video!

[@AviAeroAsis]

A good video.

[@shrikanthvhshri8350]

I appreciate captain cause he is so humble and explained factors correctly.....Even we must appreciate his skills.....

[@yukiuzii4652]

Just to let you know your video's are amazing

[@Gusrikh1]

Very interesting.

[@kuwarkailash9848]

Love from Nepal 😍

[@jaynepal1374]

I was too much excited for this video love from nepal for you sam and i wish you will fly nepal airlines long haul flight osaka which start from july 4 ❤❤

[@SamChui]

Enjoy the video!

[@sharojkhan5828]

@@SamChui yaa we nepalese want u to review tht Ktm osaka flight on july 4tg

[@jaynepal1374]

Thanks you so much sam for replying

[@liveandletlive3636]

Sharoj Khan don’t worry the review will be bad..!!!

[@wagneroliveira9875]

Obrigado por mostrar esse video SAM.

[@RichardFelstead1949]

Always enjoy your videos Sam.

[@welovetraveling4812]

Respekt! Cool

[@prakritikc9175]

Welcome to Kathmandu 😍 hope to see you

[@dl_jo]

The Captain is awesome explained everything related landing...

[@gyanendrachamlingrai9141]

Nice vidio sam greeting from NY.

[@iannzht]

That's great they allowed you to put a GoPro in the cockpit :-)

[@pranshughimire3107]

Glad you like nepal lot's of love from Nepal .❤❤❤

[@arkamsameem9545]

amazing!

[@azrashaikh8547]

From india , i love to see your video

[@jackoneil3933]

Very Cool Sam! and such a treat to have that sort of a cockpit view. And Btw. at 2:25 you say "Backtracking" and I was wondering if that is the term the cockpit crew use, as in the U.S. the official term is "Back Taxi"