Lukla Airport (Nepal)
Lukla Airport is the main air gateway to Everest. It is through this tiny airport that almost all tourists who go trekking to Everest Base Camp, as well as climbers who dream of reaching the summit of Chomolungma, arrive at the start of the route. It has become a common cliché to call Lukla “the most dangerous airport in the world.” I don’t think that this is really the case - there probably should be tougher places. However, Lukla is a truly extreme place. The length of the runway is only 520 meters. On one side it falls into an abyss, on the other it rests against a rock.
Moreover, the slope of the runway is 10-12 degrees. Therefore, you need to land here only in one direction and only the first time. Pilots say that once a plane crosses the river, there is no turning back - it must land, a second approach is impossible.
History of Lukla Airport
On May 29, 2014, Lukla Airport celebrated its 50th anniversary. Its construction began in 1964 with the support of the Himalayan Trust, the Edmund Hillary Foundation. This foundation was actively involved in the development of schools and medical institutions in the region, and the airport was originally intended specifically for the delivery of goods related to these activities. After all, before the appearance of the airstrip in Lukla, it took about 3 weeks to get here from Kathmandu. A significant part of the journey had to be walked and, accordingly, all cargo was carried by porters.
Over time, the importance of this airport as a guarantor of tourism development in the Khumbu region has increased significantly. Now the annual tourist flow through Lukla is about 25,000 people.
On the one hand, such an influx of tourists threatens the ecology of the Sagarmatha National Park, but on the other hand, it is producing a real economic revolution here, giving the Sherpas and other residents of the region the opportunity to raise their standard of living to unprecedented heights.
In 1997, there were mass protests by the local population against the idea of developing an alternative airport at Syangboche, next to Namche Bazaar. After all, this could reduce the profits of lodges located below Namche. Therefore, the project was frozen and the development of Lukla continued. For a long time, the runway in Lukla remained unpaved, lightly sprinkled with crushed stone. And only in 2001 it was paved and a new terminal building was built.
In 2008, the airport was named after Tenzing and Hillary, the first conquerors of Everest. There is still no navigation equipment in Lukla; pilots take off and land using only visual guidance. And when fog (clouds, clouds) falls on the runway, the probability of a plane crash is extremely high.
Major fatal plane crashes occurred in Lukla in 1991 (14 people), 2004 (3 people), 2008 (20 people). All of them occurred during landing. On takeoff, crashes also happened more than once - in 1973, 1992, 2005. But their consequences were much less tragic - damage to the hull or landing gear of the aircraft and its subsequent write-off.
Minibus planes
Due to the extremely short length of the runway in Lukla, only special aircraft with short takeoff and landing can operate here. These are the Canadian DHC-6 Twin Otter and the German Dornier 228. They are easy to distinguish - the Dornier has a longer nose, which hides additional luggage space, while the Twin Otter does not hide the landing gear and has struts under the wings. But both of them are sort of minibus planes with a capacity of up to 20 people and a cost of 7 million dollars apiece.
The dead weight of such an aircraft is about 3.5 tons, the load capacity is from 1.5 to 2 tons. If you divide 2 tons by 20 passengers, you get only 100 kg per person. This is very little; tourists who are getting heavier every year (humanity is getting fatter and acquiring gadgets) no longer fit into this norm. Therefore, on most flights to Lukla the load is limited to 15-18 passengers.
In addition, Nepalese airlines are tightening baggage allowance every year. Currently, the permitted weight of checked baggage is only 10 kg per person. Plus a couple of kilograms of hand luggage. For now, hand luggage is controlled carelessly, but as soon as another accident occurs due to overloading, airlines that are not interested in losing expensive aircraft and their own reputation will begin to control oversized pockets and other tricks for passengers. Or they will increase the already high prices ($260 one way) in order to be able to put a couple fewer people on the flight.
By the way, there are no luggage racks in the cabin. There's very little space at all - don't try to smuggle an elephant in there in your backpack. But there are also no doors to the pilot’s cabin in minibus planes, probably to make it more convenient to pass fares:) You can watch how the pilots work (there are always two of them) and get scared when looking at the landing strip through the windshield (the rest of the time nothing is shown there).
Due to the changeability of the weather, every minute of clear skies counts, so disembarkation and embarkation of passengers occurs without any pauses for cleaning and maintenance. Everything happens at lightning speed - the plane lands, slides off the field into a “pocket” (its place is taken by another), passengers jump out of the “minibus” and run to the terminal, those departing are already standing at the ready, meanwhile the baggage handlers transfer the luggage onto hand carts. The Nepalese army maintains order on the field. During the hot season, when a “window” in the clouds opens, planes come in to land in a continuous sequence. This is a mesmerizing spectacle, a fantastic conveyor belt, a hymn to efficiency.
Weather in Lukla
Even in normal weather, Tenzing and Hillary Airport only receives flights between 6:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. If the weather deteriorates, then Lukla airport stops accepting flights, regardless of the time of day and the number of disgruntled screaming passengers. This pause can last from several hours to a week.
If there is any delay in Lukla, tourists descending from the mountains begin to accumulate. Lodges are overcrowded, prices are rising, people are getting nervous and storming airline offices to find out something. Some stupid lists are constantly being compiled. Watching weather sites becomes the most popular entertainment (at other times everyone has fun watching planes land).
The beauty of the situation is that even if the weather improves, it may take several days to evacuate all the people gathered in Lukla. But time is running out - most tourists have no more than one spare day before flying home from Kathmandu. Nobody wants to lose tickets for expensive international flights and be late for work. And then the tossing begins - should I continue to wait in line for departure or try alternative ways to return to Kathmandu?
Alternative to Lukla
If planes don’t fly, and you really need to get out, then you can use one of two backup options. The first of them is a helicopter. Helicopters fly in almost any weather; fog hardly bothers them. The asking price is approximately $500. Upon returning to Kathmandu, you can return your air tickets and thereby save 180-200 bucks.
The second option is to run on foot to some other village and look for transport there. Usually run to Jiri, Phaplu or Salleri. But such a descent will take at least 2-3 days. And this is in the best case - if you go fast and hard. Having reached the intended village, you will need to find a jeep and drive in it for another 8-12 hours to Kathmandu.
It is unlikely that you will be able to make a difficult decision (not to wait for the plane) instantly. Most likely, this will be preceded by some period of reflection and precious time will be lost. And in general, as practice shows, a modern person on average has more free money than free time. Therefore, in my opinion, the optimal evacuation option is still a helicopter.
Tips for those flying to Lukla
- If you want to see the Himalayas out the window, then sit on the left side of the plane (for the Kathmandu-Lukla flight). On the way back to Kathmandu, you will be much less interested in the snow-white peaks.
- It is better to buy return tickets with a fixed date (rather than an open one). They have higher priority when checking in for a flight - they are more likely to fly on time.
- If you have a choice, then buy tickets for the earliest flights (no later than 8 am). In the morning the weather is much better.
- Take a jacket to the salon. It’s usually hot in Kathmandu, but on the approach to Lukla on the plane it gets noticeably colder. There are often noticeable drafts in the cabin (it is not sealed, the emergency exits do not close very tightly).
- To fit into luggage weight limits, wear as many clothes as possible (boots!) and stuff heavy small items into your pockets.
- There is no toilet on the plane, go there in advance. The flight lasts about 40 minutes.
- If you get motion sickness in transport, take an anti-motion sickness pill in advance. If you do this on the plane, it may not have time to act - the flight is very short.
- List your luggage brightly and large and include your phone number on it. It is possible that, due to overloading, your baggage will fly on a different flight and because of this you will be delayed by a day (if the weather suddenly turns bad).
- Check knives and trekking poles in your luggage. Although they are often sloppy at Kathmandu airport, they still force you to go through the scanner.
Tips for those flying out of Lukla
- Start taking an interest in the weather in Lukla 2-3 days before arriving there (i.e. while still in Gorakshep). In some circumstances (an approaching cyclone) it makes sense to drop everything and run at full speed to Lukla, so as not to get stuck there later.
- Upon returning to Kathmandu, any tickets, even expired ones, can be easily returned to the ticket office. Therefore, if the moment demands it, do not stop before buying new, better tickets.
- It makes sense not to register (push through) your tickets yourself, but to entrust this to your guide, porter or administrator of your lodge.
- Everyone should have a spare $500!
- A spare day wouldn't hurt either.
When planning our tours to Everest we try to include at least 3 spare days in the program (the period of time between arrival in Lukla and departure from Kathmandu). If we are lucky, we will use them for a trip to the Chitwan Nature Reserve, rafting and shopping.