Over 1,100 tourists stranded in NE Nepal

Over 1,100 tourists have been stranded in Tenzing Hillary Airport and Phaplu Airport in north eastern Nepal till Friday due to bad weather. No flights arrived over last six days though the airlines companies should operate over 50 flights each day to the Tenzing Hillary Airport, Lukla in Solukhumbu district. However, some 100 tourists have been ferried to the capital Kathmandu from Lukla and Surke by helicopters of the Fishtail, Dynasty, Simrik and Mountain Air, according to the Civil Aviation Authority. The 30-seat MI 17 helicopter of the Shree Air has been grounded in Lukla from Wednesday due to bad weather condition though the helicopter was supposed to bring the tourists to Kathmandu. Similarly, over 160 tourists have set out on foot for Kathmandu via Jiri of Dolakha district on seeing no sign of improvement in the weather condition. Tenzing Hillary Airport, the small airport which is located at an altitude of 2,860 meters is one of the busiest airports in Nepal as it is the entry point for the visiting Mount Everest (Mt. Qomolangma). In January 2008, the airport was renamed in honor of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first persons to reach to the summit of Mt. Qomolangma. The surrounding terrain, thin air, highly changeable weather and the airport's short, sloping runway make it one of the most challenging landing strips in the world.