Nepal; air transport in the Khumbu, 1986

Nepal; air transportation in the Khumbu, 1986. A Royal Nepal Airlines plane taxis to the precipitous airstrip at Lukla (altitude 2827 metres), perched high above the gorge of the boiling Dudh Kosi river. The flight to Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, takes forty minutes and saves a week's journey by bus and foot. In the mid-1980s, planes did not fly during the monsoon season from June-October, or during adverse weather conditions at any other time. for most Sherpas, flights were prohibitively expensive and the service was mainly used by Western trekkers and mountaineers. In emergencies, however, the service acted as an airlift and vehicle for the transport of urgent supplies.