Manthali-Lukla flights disrupted due to bad weather

By Our Correspondent,Ramechhap, Oct. 17: Flights between Manthali and Lukla have been suspended for the past two days due to bad weather conditions.

Tourists travelling to the Everest region via Manthali are facing difficulties since flights have been halted since Monday after weather conditions deteriorated in the Khumbu region of Solukhumbu.

Flights that had resumed on Saturday, after a previous improvement in weather, were again disrupted starting Monday, according to Hiranya Saha, Deputy Manager of the Civil Aviation Authority at Manthali.

“The weather in the Khumbu region of Solukhumbu has worsened. As a result, Manthali-Lukla flights have not been able to operate since Monday. However, flights between Manthali and Kathmandu are operating as scheduled,” he said.

The government has arranged aviation services for tourists visiting the Everest region to travel to and from Lukla via Manthali Airport in Ramechhap. 

The Civil Aviation Authority facilitates tourist transportation to Lukla from Manthali during the spring season (March/April to May/June) and autumn season starting the third week of September until November 1.

This autumn season, tourists traveling to the Everest region through Manthali have been facing issues due to frequent bad weather. The continuous rain from September 26 to 28 and the subsequent weather disturbances have affected tourists who came to visit the Everest region. Manthali-Lukla flights were also grounded for three days starting on October 9 due to bad weather.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority at Manthali, airlines like Sita, Tara and Summit Air have been transporting foreign tourists to and from Lukla. Each flight from Manthali to Lukla can carry 14 to 18 passengers. During favoUrable weather conditions, up to 60 flights are made daily between Manthali and Lukla, Saha informed.

Increased tourist activity in Manthali

After flights were halted, there has been a rise in tourist activity in Manthali, with visitors from various countries who planned to visit the Everest region staying in town. 

Tourists who traveled by road from Kathmandu have been stuck in Manthali for two days. Currently, local hotels, ranging from small to large ones, are filled with foreign tourists. Even though over 800 tourists fly to Lukla daily by 60 flights when the weather is clear, the hotels in Manthali are usually not crowded. 

However, due to the cancellation of flights caused by bad weather, hotels in Manthali are now bustling with tourists, said Kabindra Lama, President of the Tourism Business Association.

“When the weather is clear, 800 to 900 tourists travel from Manthali to Lukla daily, yet the hotels here remain empty. Now, with the flights suspended due to bad weather, there is a noticeable increase in tourist activity in Manthali's hotels,” Lama said. 

He also said that local hotels are being upgraded to be more tourist-friendly, focusing on improving services for foreign visitors.