Lukla Airport – The most dangerous and adventurous airport in the world

TENZING-HILARY (Lukla) AIRPORT

Opened December, 1964

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• Runway length: 16,00 ft.
• Elevation: 9,380 ft.
• Low visibility

Officially called Tenzing-Hillary Airport, it is named for the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Long known as Lukla it is located in the high north eastern corner of Nepal in the heart of the Himalayas. There are 30 daily flights between Kathmandu and Lukla. While only 85 miles apart they can feature drastically different weather. Positioned at the elevation of 9382 ft., It is the world’s one of the highest airports and the gateway to Everest. The short 1600 ft. runway features a 2000 ft drop into the valley below.

The other end of the runway seems to sope up hill towards the peaks behind it. The gradient of 12 degrees is the equivalent of a ten-story building. The fact that this runway moves uphill actually helps the aircraft stop.

During the high season of october nearly 500 passengers travel daily to this remote spot near the top of the world. The approach into Lukla is treacherous because of the decreased horse power of planes at this altitude. As a reuslt once a landing attempt has begun there is no going back. It requires a coordinated effort on the ground. Everyone needs to be ready.

The Airport is named for Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay not just because of their epic feat but because Hillary was instrumental n building the airport. While he saw it as a way to get Mountaineers to everest Base Camp more quickly, he also did it to help the locals. The construction was completed in 1964 AD and has been serving the area ever since.

While Lukla has seen some modernisation like the paving of the runway in 2001 it remains treacherous. Due to the altitude the weather is always a challenge to overcome. The weather is totally unpredictable. Usually in the morning the weather seems to be clear and that’s when most of the planes take off and land. So most of the flights are done in the morning hours. Inspite of all the warnings there have been several incidents over the years.

It is an extreme airport because of so many factors like weather, Clouds, rain, icing conditions,snow and wind factor which plays a big role. Other reasons are the terrain. It is a rugged area. The plane has to fly through the mountains. Another one is the upslope. The pilot has to be accurate.

“We combile all these together, put them in a cup drink that as a potion and come and land it with all that in our mind” – Capt. Vijay Lama

Despite the danger, Lukla Airport should be ranked as one of the most beautiful airports in the world. Its setting among the sharp himalayan peaks, the runway bordered by little purple flowers, and the shond of bells soft changing on yaks in the near distance never failed to inspire awe, even there were no aircraft in sight.