Flights halted in Sagarmatha region for 3 days, tourists crowd hotels in Lukla and Namche

लगानी न्यूज

१५ कार्तिक २०८२, शनिबार १८:३०November 1, 2025

Solukhumbu. Lukla: The Lukla Tenzing-Hillary Airport has remained closed for the past three days due to unfavourable weather. It is raining incessantly and the sky is covered with fog.

Hotels from Lukla to Namche Bazaar are full of tourists due to the suspension of flights.TAG_OPEN_div_49 Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Lukla air traffic controller Nawaraj Katuwal informed that the incessant rain has disrupted the flights since Thursday. According to him, there used to be an average of 60 flights daily during this season, but now all have come to a standstill.

TAG_OPEN_div_47 He said, “Visibility is low due to the rain, not only aircraft but helicopter flights have also not been able to take off. With the suspension of flights, tourists who were preparing to return after visiting the Khumbu region have been stuck in Lukla. At present, the hotels and guesthouses of Lukla are full of tourists.

Amrit Magar, in-charge of Tara Airlines, Lukla, said that around 1,500 tourists who had bought tickets from Tara Airlines have been stranded in Lukla.TAG_OPEN_div_45 “All the hotels in Lukla are full and it is difficult to find rooms for new guests,” he said.

Toya Kumar Shrestha, a local, said that the hotel has to accommodate the tourists in the lobby.TAG_OPEN_div_43 Julie Marie, a tourist from France, said that they are waiting for a flight. “We returned to Lukla three days ago after reaching the Everest Base Camp. ’

Same crowd in Namche{

Not only in Lukla, hotels in Namche Bazaar are also full of tourists.TAG_OPEN_div_39 According to Lamakaji Sherpa, chairperson of Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, around 1,200 tourists have been stranded in Namche alone. “Incessant rain and snowfall in the upper region, tourists visiting the upper region have reached Namche and tourists who are heading upstream from Lukla are stuck in Namche,” he said, adding that tourists have hundred percent occupancy in hotels in Namche at this time. ’

According to Tek Rai, who reached Namche, there has been no sun in Namche for four days.TAG_OPEN_div_37 Guests spend their days reading books and listening to music.

The road is also not easy

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Some tourists, however, are trying to return to Kathmandu by land route from Lukla via Salleri.TAG_OPEN_div_33 But that path is not easy. Landslides and mudslides have obstructed the Solukhumbu-Kathmandu road section due to monsoon, said Bal Darnal, a tourism entrepreneur.

Heavy rainfall and mud have forced the vehicles to sit in traffic jam for hours, especially in Kavrepalanchowk and Sindhuli along the BP Highway.TAG_OPEN_div_31

Weather signal not yet open

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According to Saroj Pudasaini, meteorologist at the Meteorological Forecasting Division, Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Kathmandu, the monsoon is still active and heavy rain and snowfall are still predicted.TAG_OPEN_div_27 “There are chances of rain in mountainous and hilly areas including Koshi Province for two to three days more after which the weather will gradually open up,” he said. ’