The airstrip
Tenzing–Hillary Airport has a 527-metre runway built at a 12-degree slope, with a mountain wall at the top end and a drop at the bottom. Aircraft land uphill and take off downhill, and there is no possibility of a go-around once committed. Only two aircraft types and specifically rated pilots operate it.
Booking
Buy through a Kathmandu agency rather than direct; airlines routinely reshuffle passengers between carriers on the morning, and an agency representative at the airport is genuinely useful when that happens. Fares are fixed at around $210–225 each way for foreign nationals.
When it goes wrong
Flights operate in the early morning before the valley wind gets up. If cloud closes Lukla, everything stops, and the backlog rolls forward — meaning day two of a cancellation is worse than day one.
Your options are to wait, to charter a helicopter, or to walk out to the roadhead at Salleri over three days. Waiting is usually correct. Helicopters fill quickly and cost accordingly.
Buffer days
Two, minimum, between your scheduled return to Kathmandu and any international flight. Three in October. This is the single most common planning mistake on the Everest trek.
Map
Getting oriented
Frequently asked questions
Why do flights leave from Manthali instead of Kathmandu?
How often are Lukla flights cancelled?
What does a helicopter out of Lukla cost?
About the author
Maya Thapa
Senior trekking writer
Maya has walked more than 4,000 kilometres of Nepal's trail network, from the teahouse highways of the Khumbu to the restricted valleys along the Tibetan border. She writes the route guides and day-by-day itineraries, and returns to most trails every second season to re-check lodge availability, water points and trail reroutes after monsoon damage.
Writes about: Nepal trekking · High-altitude routes · Teahouse logistics
