The disruption of flights at the Tenzing Hillary Airport, Lukla, has stressed out the tourists. Adverse weather caused a disruption of flight 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 (CAN) at Lukla, Divas Dahal, informed us that the fog and poor visibility disturbed air services.

Both the airplanes and helicopters have not been able to conduct flights since June 8. “It is the time the foreign tourists returned to Kathmandu after traveling to the Sagarmatha area. The number of tourists leaving the district is higher than the number of the number of arrivals. But adverse weather took a toll on air service,” Dahal added. All flight schedules are cancelled for ten days. Thick fog has caused poor visibility.

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

Similarly, after a four-hour trek down the Lukla airport, travelers can get vehicles for Kathmandu. It is also an option for tourists to ride from Thamdanda to Kathmandu in jeeps. Thamdanda lies 70 km away from Salleri bazaar, the district headquarters of Solukhumbu. Rs 2,000 per person is the fare on a jeep ride from Salleri to Kathmandu, a 275-km distance.