How to get to the Everest trek — the flight to Lukla and its specific features.
There are two options for getting to the start of the route to Everest Base Camp: endure a 10-hour bus ride from Kathmandu to the village Jiri, and then spend 5 days walking uphill to Lukla.
Or fly from Kathmandu directly to Lukla in half an hour on a small propeller plane, admiring the peaks of the eight-thousanders through the window.
Most trekkers choose the second option — it’s faster and there’s no need to waste precious time. We chose to fly as well and didn’t regret it. First of all, it’s fast, and secondly, you’d be hard-pressed to find such an adrenaline rush in life as during the landing at Lukla.
Lukla — how it all began
Tenzing–Hillary Lukla Airport — named after the first climbers to conquer Everest: Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. Edmund Hillary took the most active part in the life of Nepal, provided substantial sponsorship to the country, built bridges and schools, and helped develop this high-altitude region.
As late as the end of the 1990s, the runway was gravel. Tourists who witnessed the construction of the new runway describe it as follows:
“Bitumen was brought in barrels aboard Mi-8s. The crushed stone was manually broken down to the required grade. An asphalt roller was also brought in by helicopter, in sections. The roller first compacted the crushed-stone base of the runway; then the bitumen was heated over a fire, poured and spread, and a layer of fine crushed stone was applied, after which bitumen was poured again—and so on, layer by layer. After several layers had been laid, the “pie” was compacted with the very same roller (for some time, it could still be seen near the edge of the airfield). The required profile of the surface was set using boards leveled with a leveling instrument. The new airport was built in just one year.
The old, unpaved runway deserves special attention (if not a separate post). If I am not mistaken, it served until January 1998. Blending in with the surrounding terrain, it was not very noticeable from approaching aircraft. Passengers looked at the surrounding hills, as the planes came in to land very low, and few expected that this was the landing.
The landings were rather hard, accompanied by clouds of dust and, as a rule, by women’s—and sometimes men’s—screams.
The airport itself consisted of a dispatcher’s hut (which has survived to this day and is used by security for its own needs), a metal hangar where departing passengers brought their luggage, and a small house—the terminal building (demolished during the reconstruction).
And there was no fence at all! As now, the arrival of another aircraft was announced by a siren. At its signal, cows were driven off the runway, along with tourists who passed the time waiting for their flight by playing volleyball. The aircraft landed, was loaded, took off—and everything returned to normal.
Is Lukla Airport Really Super Dangerous?
Lukla is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world. The airport runway is only 527 meters long and was built at a 12% gradient. This angle facilitates efficient takeoff and braking on such a short runway.
The airport is located high in the mountains—at an altitude of 2,860 m above sea level. On one side of the runway is a drop into a seven-hundred-meter abyss, and on the other is a cliff. In addition, the narrow gorge into which planes fly is quite a challenging place to maneuver. It feels exactly as though you are landing and taking off from the deck of an aircraft carrier, only high in the mountains.
Landings in Lukla are carried out manually only— according to Visual Flight Rules. This is because the airport has only a radio station and no other radar equipment.
Although there have been plane crashes in Lukla, the percentage of crashes relative to the number of takeoffs and landings is minimal. Most interestingly, the crashes were usually caused by aircraft malfunctions and, less often, by weather conditions. Planes simply do not fly here in cloudy or bad weather.
Weather is important
Because of the weather conditions, flights to Lukla most often take place early in the morning, while there are no clouds. That is why planes fly to Lukla in “flocks”: they arrive one after another, land, and do not even switch off their engines. They let the trekkers who have arrived disembark, take on board those who have already seen everything, and fly back to Kathmandu.
The weather in this place determines everything. If you are unlucky, you may have to wait for your flight anywhere from several hours to several days. Transport disruptions periodically occur in Lukla. Because of bad weather, flights may be suspended for anywhere from several days to several weeks. As a result, thousands of trekkers have accumulated in Lukla. Many of them missed their next flights, some walked downhill to Jiri, while others had enough time and waited for the weather to improve.
TipIn any case, if you are planning to trek in the Everest region (Sagarmatha National Park), allow extra days in case of bad weather. You can then happily spend them shopping in Kathmandu or sightseeing at the surrounding attractions.
Airport building
The airport building in Lukla is very simple. It’s a place to check in and weigh luggage, and a tiny waiting room. There is also a small hall, from whose glass doors passengers go straight out to board.
When we flew out of Lukla, four aircraft arrived at the same time (five minutes apart). Boarding all four aircraft took no more than 15 minutes. Then the planes took off one after another and carried the passengers to Kathmandu.
Which airlines fly to Lukla
Nepalese airlines fly to Lukla:
– Nepal Airlines
– Sita Air
– Summit Air
– Agni Air
– Yeti Airlines
Small twin-engine planes fly to Lukla Airport, with room for 15 to 20 people. Even on these cramped minibus-like planes, there are flight attendants who hand out candies and cotton earplugs. Helicopters also fly to Lukla, but that is an expensive option.
The cost of a round-trip flight is practically the same with all airlines . It’s about 300 $, but a one-way helicopter flight from Lukla can cost 400 $ or more per person.
Namche Bazaar Airfield
In fact, Lukla is not the only place where planes and helicopters can land. There is also a fairly large runway above Namche Bazaar. Here are helicopters carrying supplies for expeditions and local residents land without difficulty.
However, this airport is not used for passenger flights. And it’s have a simple reason: the Sherpas want to make money from tourists, and it is not in their interest to use this runway. The extra two days of trekking from Lukla to Namche Bazaar provide food for many families. And for trekkers, the additional acclimatization is only beneficial.
Flight from Kathmandu to Lukla
I will talk separately about the feeling of flying and landing. These are indescribable feelings—the kind of flight you should experience firsthand. At first, the plane flies over the Himalayan hills, with seven- and eight-thousanders visible in the distance.
You can take a seat directly behind the pilots. It’s not separated from the passengers by anything. And you will be able to watch the landing through the plane’s windshield.
The plane is flown manually. And before landing it, our pilots prayed, touching a hand first to their lips, then to their heads, and then to the control panel. I was shocked by this ritual, but then I looked through the plane’s windshield and saw a tiny runway lying below us. The plane had to land on it at speed.
The pilots landed the plane smoothly and, as soon as it touched the runway, brought the aircraft to a stop. Just a few seconds later, we turned toward the airport and were ready to disembark. Applause and the passengers’ cheerful laughter rang out, and we were let out into the open. The emotions from that flight were enough to last a lifetime.
But I love flying, so the flight from Kathmandu to Lukla was a wonderful start to the trek to Everest, which we completed in March 2012.
What else to read:
Everest Trek – How to Organize a Hike in the Himalayas
Nepal Travel Guide – How to Prepare for an Independent Trip
Kathmandu in Three Days – What You Must Do and See in Nepal’s Capital
Mardi Himal Trek – How to Complete the Route Independently for Beginners in the Himalayas
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