How was Lukla Airport Built?

How was Lukla Airport built? This question surely strikes the minds of those who were there once in their lifetime. The construction of short and dangerous airports in Nepal would be quite hectic, wouldn’t it?

From 14 walking days to a few hours at an airstrip to the Everest region, the story unfolds the hardships and challenges faced by local Sherpa communities over the past year. The construction of an airport at an altitude of 9,337 ft made it popular as the “Most Extreme Airports” worldwide.

Let’s dive deeper into the history of Lukla airport construction.

History of Lukla Airport Construction

The world’s scariest Lukla airport is a gateway to Mount Everest and is located in the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu, Solukhumbu District, Koshi Province of Nepal. The name Lukla airport comes from a beautiful town, Lukla, that lies in the lap of the Himalayas. It is also known as Tenzing-Hillary Airport, and the airport was named to honor Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

The whole world has heard about Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, as the first duo who climbed the tallest peak in the world, Mount Everest, on May 29, 1953. His victory of climbing Mount Everest as the first mountaineer with Tenzing Norgay Sherpa became possible by walking continuously for more than two weeks while riding on a mule and the back of the Sherpa men.

Conquering the highest peak was not his final purpose, but the start of a dream of how he could contribute to the well-being of the Sherpa community, who became his backbone during his journey to Everest Base Camp. Sir Edmund has seen the difficulty faced by the Sherpa community, how they spend two weeks of their beautiful life just gathering small things needed for their day-to-day life. They have to walk this difficult path to Jiri to bring smaller things like textbooks, nails, and raw material to cover their roof. His brilliant mind gave an idea of the Lukla airport building process to avoid these daily struggles.

Potato Field was The First Choice

Sir Edmund Hillary, being an aviator, himself knew that it needed a flat and open land for the construction of a runway. He chose a wide, fertile potato farmland for the most dangerous airport on Earth. Then, he went to the village head with his proposal and even offered money, but the results didn’t come in his favor.

The refusal was connected to their sentiment, and as the head of the village, they couldn’t snatch the villagers’ food for the sake of airport construction. During that time, the patch of potatoes was very important in comparison to airport construction. He respected the denial and started searching for other mountain areas.

An Actual Land selection for the Sagarmatha Airport

Hillary was quite dedicated to the airstrip construction, and the rejection of his first choice couldn’t dim his vision, but it raised his willpower and passion. After the continuous land hunt, his search came to an end when he found a long, narrow, rocky, slopy land. The land has two different features: one end with a 10,000-foot cliff plunging into the Dudh Koshi river valley, and the other end with a hard, emerging rock.

The designation of an airport in a short, very steep, and rough terrain is quite a brilliant idea, and only a true aviator can make this dream come true.

How was Lukla Airport Built: Negotiation with Villagers

When he decided that this dirt strip was going to be the final land for the airport, he wanted to buy this land and offered $2,650 to the local Sherpa. Then, the Sherpa and Hillary came as partners and the offered sum was directly deposited into the Himalayan Trust’s projects. The most difficult part of building the world’s most dangerous airport in this land was the sheer terrain, but for Hillary, it became an asset rather than an obstacle.

The dramatic upward slope of an 11.7 percent gradient was used for landing an aircraft, and a distance of 527 meters was perfect for a runway. This downhill helps the plane gather the necessary speed with gravity to fly high in the open sky. In 1964, they officially began the construction with the help of Sherpa laborers.

Due to the absence of road transportation in the Khumbu region, heavy machinery like a bulldozer became a fruit of the sky which can only be stared at till death.” At first, thousands of Sherpa people came forward with a pick, shovels, a woven basket, and removed tons of stones and dirt, filled a bucket, and threw it in the corner of the village. They completed the whole task as their duty, not as a burden.

Engineering Marvel of Lukla Airport

Even after multiple weeks of digging through the loose mud and gravel, it couldn’t become a hard and solid surface. Most surprisingly, the Traditional Sherpa foot stomping dance played a vital role in making a firm, solid runway. He persuaded the locals to do a traditional Sherpa foot stomping dance by offering them a traditional barley beer, Chang.

Altogether, they did a foot-stomping dance and made a firm and solid surface that supports the runway of aircraft. The moral of this story is that anything can be possible if you have enough dedication and passion to do something with the whole community. The soft, porous soil hardened with the foot stomping dance and the celebration done above the surface for hours. Lukla airport construction is an engineering marvel; the unique design of flight operations at an extreme altitude is itself a miracle.

From Rough Terrain to the Success of Lukla Airport

In 1971, the Tenzing Hillary Airport /Lukla Airport was officially opened, but it was operated for the very first time in the late 1960s. In the beginning, there was a short takeoff and landing of an airship on the basis of the visual flight rules (VFR), without any radar or navigation. Small planes like Pilatus PC-6 Porter used to fly totally depending on the skills of the pilot.

The success of Lukla airport changed the quality of life of the Khumbu people, and they got quick access to medicine and aid in a matter of a few hours. In 2001, the runway was paved with asphalt concrete, which allowed the operation of Dornier 228 and the DHC-6 Twin Otter. Sadly, after seven years, Sir Edmund Hillary left this beautiful world, and the airport was renamed as Tenzing Hillary Airport in 2008.

A mountaineer and travel enthusiast from New Zealand sacrificed his fame and fortune for the sake of the Sherpa community in the Everest Region. This gives us a lesson that “If there is a wish, there will be a will.” His small promise gave us an undisputed getaway to the Everest Base Camp.

Game-changer for Everest Expeditions

The thrilling adventure of the Lukla flight has been a game-changer; the short runway makes the flight adventurous with a scenic mountain view. It is one of the most beautiful, exciting, and commercial airports that provides you with a close glimpse of Lukla village. The Lukla airport is the unique gateway to the Everest in a short period of time.

From Tenzing’s life, we learned that if you have a strong desire and passion for something, it will be completed for sure. Similarly, Lukla airport is the starting point of the Everest region trekking Everest Base Camp Trek, the Everest Three Passes Trek, the Everest Base Camp Trek via Gokyo Lake, and many others.

Stop dreaming and grab the thrill!