Tenzing-Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla Airport, is a small airport in the town of Lukla, in Khumbu, Solukhumbu district, Sagarmatha zone, eastern Nepal.At an altitude of 2,843 meters (9,325 feet), the small airstrip here has earned a reputation as one of the most extreme and dangerous airports in the world.
The single runway is narrow, short and sloped. Miss the runway by a few meters (or feet) and the plane would hit a mountain.The airport has handled up to 79 flights on one day — far beyond the acceptable capacity for such a facility, said Rinji, the airport's air traffic controller, who, like most Sherpas in the Everest region, uses only one name.
The airport is popular because Lukla is the place where most people start the climb to Mount Everest Base Camp. There are daily flights between Lukla and Kathmandu during daylight hours in good weather.
Although the flying distance is short, rain commonly occurs in Lukla while the sun is shining brightly in Kathmandu. High winds, cloud cover, and changing visibility often mean flights can be delayed or the airport closed.
