Lukla

Tenzing-Hillary Airport (IATA: LUA, ICAO: VNLK), also known as Lukla Airport, is a small airport in the town of Lukla,[1] in Khumbu, Solukhumbu district, Sagarmatha zone, eastern Nepal. In January 2008, the airport was renamed in honor of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first persons to reach the summit of Mount Everest.[2] Sir Edmund Hillary died on January 11, 2008.[3] Tenzing Norgay died in 1986.[4]

The airport is popular since Lukla is the place where most people start their climb of Mount Everest. There are daily flights between Lukla and Kathmandu during daylight hours and good weather. Although the flying distance is short, it can easily be raining in Lukla while the sun is shining brightly in Kathmandu. The paved tarmac is only accessible to helicopters and small fixed wing short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft such as Twin Otters or Dornier Do 228. There is about a 700-metre (2,000 ft) angled drop at the end of the runway to the valley below. The airport is contained within a chain link fence and patrolled by the Nepal armed police or civil police around the clock.[citation needed]