Flights at Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla have been halted causing problems for tourists due to adverse weather conditions as soon as monsoon has entered the country.
Since May 8th, no flights have been able to take off from this extremely busy airport, stranding tourists visiting the Khumbu region.
Lukla Air Traffic Controller Divas Dahal from the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority informed that excessive fog and low visibility have prevented planes and helicopters from taking off.
He said, “It is currently the season when foreign and domestic tourists visiting the Everest region are returning. There are more tourists leaving than arriving, but the weather is not favorable. Therefore, all flight schedules have been canceled for the past 10 days, and the fog makes it impossible to see nearby objects, let alone fly planes.”
Air Traffic Controller (ATC) Dahal explained that helicopters have also been unable to land at Lukla due to weather conditions, so they are flying from Surke Helipad, which is located below Lukla. Surke is at a lower altitude, allowing helicopters to take tourists to Kathmandu from there. The geographical layout causes more fog in Lukla, leading to flight disruptions, according to the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority.
Amrit Magar, the station chief of Tara Air in Lukla, mentioned that tourists often face difficulties as flights come to a halt with even slight adverse weather conditions in Lukla. With the tourist season in Khumbu ending, there are more tourists leaving than arriving. However, all flight schedules had to be canceled due to the weather. “More foreigners are leaving now than arriving, although some do come, but those who arrive tend to leave soon after,” he said.
Vehicles reach Tham Danda, which is about a four-hour walk below Lukla. Some tourists trek down to Tham Danda and then take a vehicle to Kathmandu via the district headquarters, Salleri. The distance from Tham Danda to Salleri is about 70 kilometers. As the road is rough, only Bolero Jeep vehicles operate on it.
Transportation businessman Ram Bahadur Bishwakarma said that the fare from Tham Danda to Salleri is 2,200 rupees per person. Tourists stay overnight in Salleri and then take flights, jeeps, or buses to Kathmandu the next day. The jeep fare for the 275-kilometer distance from Salleri to Kathmandu is 2,000 rupees per person.
No sign of weather improvement
The Weather Forecast Division has indicated that flight disruptions might continue for a few more days as there is no immediate sign of weather improvement. Meteorologist Raju Pradhanang informed that the monsoon, which has entered from the east, remains active, increasing the likelihood of rain in the Koshi region.
He said, “The weather is not expected to improve immediately, so air flights may be affected for a few more days. With the monsoon active, more rainfall is expected.”
The Tenzing-Hillary Airport is given high importance as the only airport in the Everest region. Most domestic and international tourists visiting the famous Everest region use this airport.
Flights to this airport are operated from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport and Manthali Airport in Ramechhap. According to statistics from the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority, more than 60,000 domestic and international tourists use this airport annually to visit the Everest region. The importance of this airport has increased as there is no road network reaching Lukla, said Toya Kumar Shrestha from Lukla.
Tourists who land in Lukla by plane from Kathmandu then trek uphill from here. There are no other airports operating above this point, making it mandatory for every tourist visiting Khumbu by air to use this airport.
This airport, located in Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality-2, Lukla, was constructed in 1960 with the help of Sir Edmund Hillary. It was renamed in honor of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary in December 2007.
Situated on the hillside below Lukla Bazaar, this airport is at an elevation of 2,800 meters above sea level. The runway length is 460 meters, or 1,500 feet.
Lukla Airport is included in the list of the world’s most dangerous airports by the History Channel’s “Most Extreme Airports” ranking. It was also listed as the eighth most thrilling airport globally by the international website “PrivateFly.com.” The main challenge for flights and landings at this airport is the weather, as stated by Umesh Kumar Panthi of the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority.
The rapidly changing weather conditions in this mountainous area make flights and landings more challenging. Despite this, being a tourist airport, over 100 flights are conducted on a single day during peak seasons, according to the Authority’s statistics. Local experts state that the importance and activity of this airport have increased because tourists bound for the Everest region land here and then trek uphill.
