In the Nepalese city of Lukla, there is an airport named Tenzinga and Hillary (LUA or Tenzing-Hillary Airport), which is considered one of the most dangerous on the planet. It connects the capital of the country with the main point from where the ascent to Everest and other mountain peaks of the Himalayas starts.
general information
The airport received its modern name in 2008 in honor of the first conquerors of Jomolungma: Tenzing Norgay (Sherp from Nepal) and Edmund Percival Hillary (climber from New Zealand). Prior to this, the air gates bore the name of the city in which they are located.
There is still no navigation equipment, except for the radio station, so pilots can only navigate visually during the landing and take-off. During fog or bad weather, there is a very high likelihood of crash of a liner, and at that time passengers do not carry airplanes.
Description of the airport Lukla
The runway has a length of only 527 m, a width of 20 m and is located under a steep slope (12%) at an altitude of 2860 m above sea level. The terrain here is quite complicated, so takeoffs are made from the end 24, and the landings from 06. The difference between them is 60 m.
On one side is a ridge, whose height reaches 4000 m, and on the other - an abyss, with a depth of 700 m. It ends with the mountain river Dudh Kosi, which is the most difficult in the world. It's necessary to land and take off here from the first time, because the second approach is simply impossible. In 2001, Lukla Airport was asphalted and a new terminal building was constructed, and a helicopter pad and 4 parking platforms were built.
Airlines serving the air harbor
You can get to Lukla airport only from Kathmandu . Landings and take-offs here are performed on small Twin Otter and Dornier 228 aircraft, which do not have luggage compartments in the cabin. The carrying capacity of the liners is a maximum of 2 tons, so they can accommodate up to 20 people.
One passenger can carry no more than 10 kg of luggage, hand luggage - up to 2 kg. Every year the rule is tightened and more and more control over the various tricks of passengers. The ticket price is about 260 dollars one way. Serving the airport are several airlines:
- Yeti Airlines;
- Nepal Airlines;
- Goma Air;
- Tara Air;
- Gorkha Airlines;
- Sita Air.
When going to use the services of this airport, it is worth taking into account the fact that flights are made only during the daytime: from 06:30 to 15:30 with good visibility. The weather in the mountains is quite unpredictable and deceptive, therefore flights are often canceled, and the delay can last from a couple of hours to several days.
Annually about 25000 people use the air harbor services.
What do you need to know when going on a flight?
Because of the changeable weather during the landing and landing it is impossible to lose a minute, so the aircraft fly in a continuous sequence. Between the flights do not perform any maintenance, or cleaning. Everything happens very quickly: after landing the liner, it is sent to the "pocket", and another one immediately enters into its place. Passengers should be in time to release the terminal, so that the loaders unload and load baggage. At the Lukla airport, the local army strictly follows the order.
When going to fly to or from Lukla, travelers should know the following nuances:
- In the cabin of the aircraft you need to take a warm jacket, so as not to freeze, as the liner is not sealed, and the emergency exits are not closed tightly.
- Buying tickets from Lukla is best in the early morning (until 08:00). At this time the weather is clearer.
- If you want to watch the Himalayas from the porthole, then occupy seats in the cabin on the left side (this applies to flights from Kathmandu to Lukla).
- Your luggage must be signed in large and bright letters, indicating the phone number. There are situations when the aircraft is overloaded, and the cargo can go by another flight.
- Buy tickets from Lukla with a fixed, not an open date. They have a higher priority during registration, which increases your chance to fly.
- Usually there are no toilets in airplanes, so consider this fact before take-off. If you are sick, then the pill should be drunk 20 minutes before takeoff, so she could act.
- In order to avoid overweight baggage, wear the maximum number of clothes and shoes, and in your pockets lay out the "small things".
- A couple of days before departure from Lukla ask the weather. If a cyclone approaches the city, it makes sense to fly away a couple of days earlier, so as not to be stuck here for an indefinite period of time.
- In Kathmandu, you can even pass tickets that are overdue. Guides, administrators or porters can help in this.
- When going to Lukla, you need to have at least 500 dollars in stock and 2-3 days before departure from the country, so as not to change tickets for international flights.
Many experienced climbers often say that it is not so terrible to conquer Everest, how safely to land at the airport of the city of Lukla . If you really need to fly, and the planes do not go, then use the services of helicopters that also fly from here.