KATHMANDU, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- As autumn is the most popular mountaineering and trekking season in Nepal, Lukla airport which is the gateway to Mount Qomolangma handles up to 200 helicopter flights per day, according to the authorities.
Lukla airport, located at an altitude of 2,845 meters above the sea level, is the nearest airport to the world's highest peak Qomolangma located in Solukhumbu district, which marks the beginning of trekking to the Himalaya region.
"We have been handling more than 35 airplane flights every day, which can reach up 55 on some days. There are over 100 helicopter flights in minimum in a single day, which can exceed 200," Emanath Adhikari, chief at Lukla Airport, told Xinhua on Wednesday.
Adhikari further said that the flight operation depends upon the flow of passengers, availability of aircrafts and most importantly, weather condition. Due to the extreme wind pressure, all round-trip flights are usually operated in the morning.
In the autumn season, domestic airlines and helicopter companies struggle to conduct flights everyday to Lukla, known as Tenzing Hillary airport, which is recognized as world's dangerous airport featuring vibrant terrains and harsh weather patterns.
The private companies Sita Air, Tara Air and Summit Air have been operating flights regularly, while at least 10 helicopter companies are in operation currently.
The official said that from this year, 80 percent of flights are operated to Lukla via Ramechhap airport, while remaining flights, especially chartered ones, are directly operated from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.
"Weather in this part is quite unpredictable sometimes. However, we are handling the flights and situation smoothly. The huge flow of flights and passengers can go on till mid-December," the aviation official said.
Autumn is the peak trekking and climbing season in the country, except for Mount Qomolangma expedition which is usually conducted during spring season owing to favorable weather.
This autumn, the Department of Tourism, which issues climbing permits, has issued expedition permits for 18 mountains, including several 8,000-meter peaks and Mt. Qomolangma for the first time in a decade.
