This is part of our Travel Writing and Reflection series. It follows on from the story of Dan’s miserable flight from Guangzhou to Kathmandu.
Muz: Hi Daniel, last time we spoke you told of your adventure getting to Kathmandu via Lucknow. You mentioned the next flight.
Dan: It was also pretty entertaining. The Everest Base Camp trek starts in Lukla which is a 30 to 45-minute flight from Kathmandu.
Himalayan Weather Calls the Shots
Dan: The last thing I wanted to do after having been delayed on a plane in Lucknow for over 24 hours was another flight.
We were scheduled on a 6.30am out of Kathmandu, but bad weather closed in and we sat around waiting all day. Lukla is the most dangerous airport in the world so there were no night flights. After ten hours at the airport we turned around and went back to our hotel – actually, we had to check into another hotel due to the delay.
A Cat Loose in the Airport
Dan: The next morning we returned but weren’t on the earliest flights because they were assigned to people who had already booked; so we waited a couple of hours in hope of getting a slot. About 8am it was announced all flights were delayed as someone had seen a tiger somewhere around Kathmandu airport.
Someone had let a tiger that was in transit escape in the airport. To compound it no one really knew where it was and that is what genuinely came over the PA. We were directed to stay in place as ‘…there’s a tiger somewhere and we’ve got to find it.’ We looked at each over. ‘Did they really say there is a tiger on the loose?’ They did and that delayed us another couple of hours, further cramming the flight departures.
Muz: A tiger roaming the airport…. That is hilarious.
Dan: It took a few hours but they found it.
We Embark, We Disembark, We Embark, We Disembark
Dan: About two o’clock they took us by minibus out to our plane and we sat there for a long time.
Strangely, we were allowed to walk up to the propellers and touch the plane. No one seemed to care, so we passed the time looking closely at the little planes.
We also noticed all flora lining the runway was marijuana. I suppose it’s just a weed as it was ubiquitous.
Then we finally boarded a plane. By this time we were nervous as it gets dark quickly. How it works is that Lukla airport staff will tell Kathmandu airport if it is clear enough to land. When it is, planes take off from Kathmandu until Lukla advises its too cloudy or dark to land. Any planes that have already taken off are allowed to continue to Lukla, but no more flights are allowed off the ground until the clouds have cleared again.
We taxied to the end of the runway and were the next plane to take off. No way! Again, the weather was against us so we turned around. We waited again thinking this is our second day of not being able to get started on our trek and knowing that we’re going to have to walk faster anyway to catch up, and we had already lost our trek rest day. We got off the plane.
Then we got on the last flight of the day. Light was fading, I think we were maybe fourth or fifth in line to take off. All other planes got away but we got turned around again.
I remember the pilot saying we’re not going to make it today. He started to pack up and leave. Our guide said to us ‘Look guys, we don’t have time to complete our Everest Base Camp trip now because we’ve used our rest day and we can’t progress you guys with minus one day in the schedule and accommodation is already booked en route to Base Camp. You’re going to have to book a different trip. Maybe we can bus you to Pokhara for the Annapurna circuit or maybe you can do something else. We’re not really sure. We’ll figure it out tomorrow.’
Sherpa Tenacity and a White-Knuckle Flight
Dan: We were so upset. Actually shattered. Then one of our party expressed to the pilot what we’d been through over the previous couple of days and that we were all going to lose our opportunity to do Everest Base Camp because of this. With Sherpa tenacity and generosity, the pilot turned and said, ‘All right stuff this. We’re doing it.’ He got on the radio to tower control and he said, ‘We’re going, so clear a space for us. I’m taxiing out right now.’
It was dusk. It was the scariest flight I’ve ever taken in my life. It was very bumpy. I looked at the instrument panel. This plane was built in the 80s – a twin engine Otter. The instruments weren’t working. It was a really shocking to see the poor condition of that plane.
The situation was like one of those classic air crash investigations where the pilot gets disorientated and crashes into a side of the mountain because we were flying below the mountain line and there was wispy cloud around us. Occasionally we would break out of the clouds ever so slightly and see a mountain face 200 metres to the right. Having seen the instrument panel, I’m convinced the pilot was flying by memory without navigation aids. It really was life-threatening but remarkable that this pilot managed to guide us through the Himalayas in half light and cloud, landing virtually in the dark onto an airstrip which was carved into the mountain.
Muz: As I said in a previous article on base camp, if you want to be frightened, it is worth looking on YouTube at landings and takeoffs at Lukla airport. I’m glad we made it.
Dan: When we landed one member of our party was so upset and so frightened it took him an hour just to recover. He was quite emotionally distraught. Fortunately for him and the rest of us, we had little time to ponder. It was packs on and a five hours trek in darkness.
But after that amazing trip – one of the best.
Navigating The Kathmandu Domestic Terminal
Its not easy, but this might help…:
Snack Strategy: The food options inside the terminal are limited. Pack some of those Kathmandu samosas (if you’re feeling brave) or some granola bars in your carry-on.
The Early Bird Rule: Always book the first flight of the day (6:00 AM or 6:30 AM). These have the highest probability of taking off before the mid-morning clouds move in.
The “Hurry Up and Wait” Mantra: The terminal is loud, crowded, and short on seating. Carry a small inflatable cushion or be prepared to claim a patch of floor near a power outlet.
The Helicopter Pivot: If fixed-wing flights are grounded for multiple days, helicopters can often still fly under lower visibility. It’s expensive (USD $400–$600 per person), but sometimes it’s the only way to keep your trek on schedule.
Lukla – The Most Dangerous Airport in the World
Tenzing–Hillary Airport has been referred to as the most dangerous airport in the world. Arriving and departing aircraft must use a single runway. There is a low prospect of a successful go-around on a short final approach due to the terrain. There is high terrain immediately beyond the northern end of the runway and a steeply angled drop at the southern end of the runway into the valley below.
Although the airport is nominally open throughout the year, visibility problems close the airport 50% of the time during the monsoon season, with the consequent cancellation of 50% of flights. Due to the terrain and the low possibility of a safe go-around for a missed approach, there are no go-around procedures.
Most international runways are in excess of 10,000 feet long, but Lukla’s is just at 1,700 feet. The high altitude has also created thinner air and makes it hard for aircraft to get enough thrust for a go-around, but reduced resistance means the plane also doesn’t slow down as quickly, which makes landing very risky.
Due to the difficulties of successfully landing at the airport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal sets high standards, according to which only experienced pilots, who have completed at least 100 short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) missions, have over one year of STOL experience in Nepal, and have completed ten flights into Lukla with a certified instructor pilot, are allowed to land at the airport.
Anyone contemplating the flight should probably avoid this article: https://nepalhikingadventure.com/aeroplane-crash-history-in-lukla/
Muz lives in Sydney. When not conducting investigations he divides his time between travel adventures, backgammon, family and luring dumb fish to their demise.
[…] The story doesn’t end here. Read about Dan and Muz’s adventure getting from Kathmandu to Lukla. […]