We often notice that planes avoid flying directly over the Himalayas and the Pacific Ocean. They take longer routes instead. Have you ever wondered why this is the case?
Here’s a list of reasons that will help you understand why planes avoid flying over the Himalayas and the Pacific Ocean.
Emergency landings
Planes stay away from flying directly over the Pacific Ocean and choose curved routes because these routes are safer. They keep planes over land instead of the ocean, reducing the time spent over water and allowing for emergency landings on flat ground. The Himalayan areas are not safe for emergency landings because they lack flat surfaces, and the presence of mountains increases the risk.
Changing climates
Most commercial airlines stay away from the Himalayas and the Pacific Ocean because all weather-related events happen in the troposphere. The troposphere goes up to about twenty kilometers from the Earth’s surface. Flying in the troposphere isn’t good for aeroplanes because shifting weather patterns can affect flights and increase the risk of accidents.
Military operations
One more reason commercial aeroplanes avoid flying over the Himalayas is that the Indian Air Force and the People’s Liberation Army Air Force conduct training exercises in the area. These military activities limit commercial airlines from flying above them.
Air Turbulence
When commercial aeroplanes fly over the Himalayas and the Pacific Ocean, they encounter weather disturbances and a lack of oxygen. At the Himalayan peaks, abnormal air turbulence can slow down planes and make passengers uncomfortable due to the oxygen shortage. That’s why they usually avoid these routes.
Navigation Radar Service
The Himalayan region has very few people, so there aren’t many navigation radar services available. This makes it hard for pilots to stay in touch with the ground. In case of an emergency, the pilot might not get the help they need because of the poor radar service. That’s why pilots prefer to take different routes instead of flying over the Himalayas and the Pacific Ocean.
Emergency oxygen running out
In these high areas, there’s a risk of running out of oxygen because planes typically carry only about twenty minutes of emergency oxygen. If that runs out, the plane must descend to at least 10,000 feet to get more oxygen, a process called the drift-down procedure. However, in the Himalayas, descending to 10,000 feet is very risky and can be dangerous.
Height of the Himalayas
When it comes to the Himalayas, their peaks are all higher than 20,000 feet. This makes them unsuitable for commercial planes, which generally fly above 30,000 feet to avoid weather disturbances centered in the stratosphere. The stratosphere is a good zone for flying because it lacks weather-related issues.
Flat Maps Theory
Planes usually avoid flying directly over the Pacific Ocean because curved routes are shorter than straight ones. Straight routes on flat maps might not be the shortest distance.
To see this, you can do a simple experiment with a globe. Pick two places, like the US and any Middle Asian country, and use a string to connect them directly, simulating a straight route. Mark the distance. Then, measure a curved path the same way. If you do it right, you’ll find that the curved path is shorter than the straight one.
Airport Geodesic Curve
When planes fly, they follow the shortest path between two points called a geodesic curve. If you’re traveling to an airport and your plane stops at another airport on the way, there will always be another airport nearby that’s the same distance from your final destination.
Airlines plan their routes based on this shortest path. However, in the Himalayan and Pacific Ocean areas, there aren’t many airports along the way.
