World’s Highest Airport Begins Construction under CPEC

[FuturePAF]

A railway line will be very costly to build and maintain, no one has ever built such a line on such a high plateau with perma frost ground, and hunderds of bridges and tunnels also need to be built, besides, Gilgit Baltistan region is very volatile, vulnerable to India's sabotage activities.

It would be the first choice, the peshawar Uzbekistan rail route is easier but has pot trial political issues, due to risk of internal instability in Afghanistan due to their internal politics. A route through GB would be more expensive and harder to defend more of a stable and much shorter option (especially if cargo is coming all the way across Tibet) once up and running. But it’s an option probably decades away. Building the Afghan route is probably best for now, in part to help stabilize that country, and tie its economic prosperity through good and peaceful relations with its neighbors.

Back to the airport, do the planes just need a longer runway or any special equipment to take off from the high altitude?

 

[beijingwalker]

Back to the airport, do the planes just need a longer runway or any special equipment to take off from the high altitude?

Then engines may lose some power due to insufficient oxygen intake

 

[FuturePAF]

Then engines may lose some power due to insufficient oxygen intake

Probably going to be used primarily as a air strip in case of emergencies flying over or near the Himalayas.