Aerial view of Lukla Airport in Khumbu Pasanglhamu Municipality
Airport Overview
Lukla Airport also known as Tenzing-Hillary Airport, is a small airport in the town of Lukla, in Khumbu, Solukhumbu District, Province No 1. It is 25 km due NE of the District HQ with limited road access. It is within the premise of Lukla, the gateway to Mount Everest and inside the buffer zone of Sagarmatha national park. It is one of the four airports (Kangel Danda Airport, Phaplu Airport and Syangboche Airport) in the district.
It has been called one of the most dangerous airports in the world because of a combination of mountainous terrain, unpredictable weather and a very short and steep airstrip. Between Nepal Airlines, Sita Air, Summit Air and Tara Air, daily flights are scheduled all around the year. Flight cancellation because of the inclement weather is very common. In 2019 it had 20,418 aircraft movements, 119,801 passengers and 2,673 MT cargo.
The operation hours established for the all year-round service is as follows:
- Jan, Feb, Nov & Dec: 0100-1215 UTC
- Mar, Apr, Sept & Oct: 0030-1245 UTC
- May, June, July & Aug: 0015-1300 UTC
Airport Location and Contact |
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Country |
Nepal |
Province or District |
Province 1/ Solukhumbu |
Nearest Town or City |
25 Kms due NE of the District HQ in the town of Lukla |
Airport’s Complete Name |
Tenzing-Hillary Airport |
Latitude |
27.68777 |
Longitude |
86.73138 |
Elevation (ft and m) |
9337 ft (2846 m) |
IATA Code |
LUA |
ICAO Code |
VNLK |
Managing Company or Airport Authority |
Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Tenzing-Hillary Airport Tel :977- 38-550197 AFS VNLKYDYX |
Management Contact Person |
N/A |
NGO and/or UN Presence at Airport? |
None |
Runway
Runway #1 |
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---|---|
Runway Dimensions |
1728 × 65 ft (527 × 20 m) |
Runway Orientation |
06 - 24 - |
Runway Surface |
Asphalt Concrete |
Runway Condition |
Good |
Airport Infrastructure Details
Infrastructure |
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Passenger / Cargo Security Screening |
Metal Detector: Handheld, Walkthrough, CCTV |
Runway Lighting |
|
Refuelling Capacity |
No |
Ground Handling Services |
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Air Traffic Control |
Communication through HF SSB, VHF, AMHS |
Fire Fighting Equipment |
Ultra-high pressurized system fire vehicle and portable type fire extinguisher available. |
Weather Information |
AFIS, Tower Observation |
Aircraft Parking Space |
2800 sqm of concrete Apron, 4 D228 Types |
Navigation Aids |
AFIS |
Perimeter Fencing |
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Windsock |
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