Flights that were cancelled from November 12 due to extremely foggy weather conditions in the region resumed Friday when weather slightly cleared up. [break]
But two MI-17 choppers owned by Simrik Air and Shree Air that operated on Friday exclusively along the route abandoning their regular routes were far from able to reduce the pressure on lodging infrastructure and other amenities in the village dubbed the gateway to Mt Everest.
The choppers managed to airlift 231 stranded tourists to Kathmandu, according to Yadav Subedi, Chief District Officer of Solukhumbu.
“But at least 1,000 tourists are still stranded in Lukla,” Subedi said over phone from the district Friday evening.
Several dozen people chose Friday to trek to Jiri rather than try their luck with flights, Subedi added.
Flights did not operate at all from Kathmandu to Lukla in the past week barring on Wednesday when a few flights were conducted. But there was no air traffic movement again on Thursday.
Trekking agencies and the Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA), a non-profit organization that seeks to reduce casualties in the Himalayas, put the number of stranded people in Lukla as of Thursday at over 2,000.
“There were 2,500 stranded tourists in Lukla on Thursday,” said Bikram Neupane, chairman of HRA. “Many must have left on foot,” he added.
Meanwhile, trekking agents complained that their clients were being made to pay exorbitant fares.
Tika Gurung, chairperson of Bochi Bochi Trek, said stranded foreigners are paying as much as $ 1,000 for a flight back to Kathmandu.
“For many, paying the sum is a far attractive proposition than remaining stranded there until regular flights operate,” he said. Under normal weather condition, as much as 50 flights operate along the Kathmandu-Lukla route every day.
The Meteorological Forecasting Division in Kathmandu predicted better weather conditions in the region in the next few days.
Sudip Kayastha, a meteorologist with the division, said the foggy and windy condition that prevailed in the past week in the Mt Everest region started to improve Friday.
“It was better but still foggy on Friday. But the weather should be much better from Saturday,” Kayastha said.
The Lukla airstrip, located at an altitude of 2,800 meters, is considered one of the most dangerous in the world. In August this year, an Agni Air turboprop that was diverted to Kathmandu after being unable to land on the airstrip crashed in Makwanpur district killing all 14 on board.
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