Bad Weather Grounds Flights at Lukla for Three Days, Thousands of Tourists Stranded

Continuous rainfall and thick fog have paralyzed air travel at the Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, halting all flights for the past three days and leaving hundreds of tourists stranded in the Everest region.

Air Traffic Controller Nawaraj Katuwal said flights have been unable to operate since Thursday due to extremely poor visibility. “Even helicopter services have been suspended,” he said, noting that about 60 flights usually take off daily during peak trekking season.

With no flights operating, hotels in Lukla and Namche Bazaar are overcrowded. Tara Air’s Lukla in-charge, Amrit Magar, reported that nearly 1,500 travelers are stuck, while Lama Kaji Sherpa of the Everest Pollution Control Committee estimated around 1,200 tourists stranded in Namche alone. Some hotels have even had to accommodate guests in their lobbies.

A few trekkers have begun making the difficult journey to Kathmandu by road via Salleri, though heavy rainfall and landslides have disrupted sections of the Solukhumbu–Kathmandu highway, said tourism entrepreneur Bal Darnal.

Meteorologist Saroj Pudasaini from the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology warned that rain and snowfall are likely to continue for a few more days before weather conditions gradually improve.