Tourists stranded at Lukla airport due to bad weather

Kathmandu: All tourists heading to and returning from Everest base camp are stranded at the Lukla airport after the closure of the Tenzing Hillary Airport Lukla for three days due to bad weather conditions.

The airport is fully closed until Monday after the first flight on Saturday. As the tourist season begins, the returning tourists are stranded at Lukla Airport and those who want to go there are also blocked.

According to the airport sources, there is no sign of change in the weather for the next few days. According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, there is still a chance of raining in the Lukla area for the next 2-3 days. The department estimates that the airport will still be closed for three days.

According to Rohit Karn, ATC chief at the airport, the number of tourists had increased as the tourist season started in Lukla. The flights were in full occupancy before closing.

Due to a lack of road access to the Khumbu area, another option other than airplanes is low for travelers. Even if the road can be accessed after a day’s walk, about two day’s walk is required during the rainy season.

Everest is one of the major tourist destinations for visiting Nepal. Therefore, the number of tourists traveling from Tribhuvan International Airport to Tenzing Hillary Airport in Lukla is extremely high during the season.

In Khumbu, the upper region of Solukhumbu, more than 300 tourists arrive daily when the weather is favorable. Along with the increase in the number of tourists, airlines flying to Lukla also add flights.