Tenzing-Hillary Airport flights disrupted for ten days due of adverse weather

SOLUKHUMBU, JUNE 18: The disruption of flights at Tenzing Hillary Airport in Lukla has troubled the tourists. Adverse weather caused disruption of flights for ten days. The tourists visiting the Khumbu region have been badly affected by the inconvenience in air service.

The air controller at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) at Lukla, Divas Dahal, informed that fog and poor visibility disturbed air services. Both aeroplanes and helicopters were not able to conduct flights since June 8.

"It is the time the foreign tourists returned to Kathmandu after travelling to the Sagarmatha area. The number of tourists leaving the district is more than arrivals. But adverse weather took a toll on air service," Dahal added. All flight schedules have been cancelled for ten days. Thick fog has caused poor visibility.

However, Dahal informed that some helicopters were operated from Surke helipad located down from Lukla. Geographical specificity is a problem for Lukla where dense fog occurs frequently this season, according to him.

Surke is relatively clear.

Similarly, after a four-hour trek down from the Lukla airport, travelers can get vehicles for Kathmandu. It is also an option for tourists to ride from Thamdanda to Kathmandu in a jeep.

Thamdanda lies 70 km away from Salleri Bazaar, the district headquarters of Solukhumbu.

Rs 2,000 per person is the fare for a jeep ride from Salleri to Kathmandu, a 275 km distance.