About Tenzing-Hillary Airport

Tenzing-Hillary Airport, commonly known as Lukla Airport, is a small but world-famous mountain airport located in Lukla, Solukhumbu District, Nepal. It is the main gateway for trekkers heading toward the Everest region, including routes like Everest Base Camp. The airport sits at an altitude of about 2,845–2,846 meters (9,300+ feet) above sea level and is known for its extremely short and sloped runway, which is only about 527 meters long. The runway is built between steep mountain terrain, with a cliff on one end and a rock wall on the other, leaving very little margin for error during takeoff and landing. It was originally built in 1964 under the guidance of Sir Edmund Hillary to help transport supplies to the Everest region, and later renamed in 2008 to honor Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary, the first climbers to summit Mount Everest. Today, the airport is famous for its challenging flight conditions—rapid weather changes, strong winds, and visual-only landings make operations highly dependent on clear morning weather. Because of these conditions, Lukla is often described as one of the most challenging and “most dangerous” airports in the world, and it operates only with highly experienced pilots flying small STOL aircraft.