SOLUKHUMBU, Sept 12: The most dangerous airport in the world – the Tenzing – Hillary Airport located at Lukla of Solukhumbu district – does not have the necessary infrastructure to deal with the unpredictable alpine weather system.

The organizations world over have listed the alpine runaway strip, known as Lukla airport in Nepal, as the most dangerous due to its short runaway, geographical remoteness and the notoriously unpredictable weather.

It may be surprising to note that the airport, located at the gateway to Mt Everest, does not have a weather forecasting instrument.

The pilots say that once you enter the Lukla region there is no turning back no matter how worse the weather gets. The geographical location is such that airplanes that enter the region have no other option but to land.

The Lukla airport entertains around a hundred flights per day during the peak tourist season when tourists flock to see Mt Everest, the world’s highest peak.

The airport is notorious for fatal accidents that repeat almost every year. Civil Aviation Authority, Lukla has been sending repeated appeals for installation of such instrument, but in vain. Many other dangerous airports across the country are faced with similar and hazardous problems. RSS

SOLUKHUMBU, Sept 4: Tourists continue to be affected by the disruption of flights to and from Tenzing- Hillary Airport also known as Lukla Airport based in Lukla of Solukhumbu since the past five days due to adverse weather.

Thick fog and rains have forced the airlines companies to cancel flights since last Wednesday. It was able to operate just two flights on Sunday morning in the past six days, according to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Lukla chief Bachchu Narayan Shrestha.

On Sunday, various airlines companies booked for a total 16 flights from the airport. Because of the disruption of flights, tourists on the way to Lukla have got stuck in Kathmandu while those planning to return after visiting Khumbu region are waiting for the resumption of flights.

The disruption of flights has made business community here worried, said local businessman Jangbu Sherpa.
Khubmu, the famous tourist destination here attracts around 35 thousand tourists every year and among them, over 90 percent use the Lukla Airport for arrivals and departure as this is more convenient route than a trekking, and the land routes to reach the site.

There is no better option for tourists than to travel by plane. It takes at least three days to walk up to meet a nearby road from Lukla. Bearing this in mind, the construction of a road from Salleri to Surke that lies below Lukla, was started five years ago, but a one-third progress is still awaited. RSS