Nepal bans helicopter operations in Everest area due to local protests
Nepalese airlines and air operators have ceased helicopter flight operations around the Everest area due to protests over its environmental impact, and the threat it poses to sherpas and local industries.
Helicopters have been a crucial means of transport and emergency response in many of Nepal’s remote regions, which are often inaccessible by road.
Over the past years, helicopters have also been used to help hikers cross challenging terrains in the Sagarmatha National Park, home to Mount Everest–—a job formerly undertaken by local sherpas. For a hefty price (usually $1,000), helicopters can reduce hikers’ two-week long trek to Everest base camp to just one day.
At one point, helicopters had become such a common sight in the Everest region that famed Himalayan expedition leader Wolfgang Nairz described them as ‘Khumbu mosquitoes’, from the region of northeastern Nepal on the Nepalese side of Mount Everest.
Amid escalating arguments from locals, the Airline Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) has decided to suspend helicopter flights in the Nepalese side of Everest (Khumbu region), citing lack of security.
Local youths have reportedly expressed their anger at helicopters by unfurling flag barriers on helicopter landing zones and even threatening pilots.
In a statement, the AOAN said: “All heli flights to the Khumbu region have been suspended from today, January 5, due to a lack of full security assurances. Fixed-wing airlines operating in the region are also advised to suspend flights if safety cannot be fully guaranteed.”
The suspension, which took effect on January 5, 2025, is not a blanket ban on all helicopters. Emergency airlifts and medical evacuations are still permitted.
The Sagarmatha National Park is visited by approximately 100,000 people every year. Of those, an average of 800 people attempt to climb Mount Everest annually.
According to the Himalayan Database, Mount Everest has been climbed over 12,000 times, with 6,000 ascents made by Nepalese people, presumably sherpas.
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Nepalese airlines and air operators have ceased helicopter flight operations around the Everest area due to protests over…
The post Nepal bans helicopter operations in Everest area due to local protests appeared first on AeroTime.
