Same old, same old – it’s like in the Hollywood movie “Groundhog Day”. Once again, the regional administration of the Everest region has launched an attempt to restrict helicopter traffic. The Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality has announced that commercial helicopter flights will be prohibited in Sagarmatha National Park from 1 January 2025. Only rescue flights will then be permitted, and these must be coordinated with the national park authority.
Noise pollution and job killer
The excessive use of helicopters beyond Lukla – the village with its airfield is the gateway to the Khumbu – has a “significant adverse impact on the Sagarmatha National Park and its buffer zones, which are listed as UNESCO world heritage sites”, the regional administration said. “These flights have negatively affected the forest, environment and wildlife. Additionally, the excessive noise pollution caused by the helicopters has directly impacted local residents and tourists. Furthermore, the excessive helicopter flights have severely affected local businesses and opportunities.” The authority informed the dozen or so helicopter companies and the Trekking Association of Nepal (TAAN) about the new rules.
In recent years, expedition and trekking operators have increasingly used helicopters to transport mountaineers and hikers to the Everest region, sometimes as far as the national park or even directly to Everest Base Camp. One-day offers for helicopter flights from Kathmandu to the Khumbu are also popular, flying over the viewing mountain Kala Patthar opposite Everest and the base camp at the foot of the highest mountain on earth. The package costs around 1500 dollars per person.
Owners of the many lodges on the way to the base camp complain that their guests are staying away because of the many helicopter flights. Yak owners and porters feel deprived of income from transporting materials.
Aviation authority declares itself solely responsible
The Khumbu regional administration had already made similar attempts before the 2023 and 2024 spring seasons. In the end, however, the commercial operators prevailed – and the number of helicopter flights increased rather than decreased.
As was to be expected, the regional administration immediately faced headwinds for its initiative. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) insisted that it alone had the right to regulate air traffic. The CAAN called on helicopter companies and expedition and trekking operators to continue their planned flights to the Everest region. This is exactly what the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) announced: Destinations in the Khumbu will continue to be flown to, as the CAAN aviation authority has given permission for this, it said.
You don’t have to be a prophet to predict that this time too – as in previous years – commerce around Mount Everest will beat environmental protection. If, contrary to expectations, the regional administration of the Khumbu prevails, this would have a signal effect for other national parks in Nepal, such as the protected area around the eight-thousander Annapurna I in western Nepal.
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