SOLUKHUMBU: Hundreds of foreign tourists have been stranded at Lukla in Solukhumbu district owing to unfavorable weather condition for the past three days.
Imanath Adhikari, chief of Civil Aviation Authority, Lukla, informed that as many as 300 tourists, who were preparing to return to Kathmandu from the destination, have been stuck at Lukla.
Lukla has witnessed worsening weather condition since last Friday. Though there were 20 scheduled flights on Friday not a single flight could take off, according to the Airport Office.
Only five among 25 flights took off on Saturday while not a single flight took place on Sunday, Adhikari informed. There were 30 flight schedules, including 15 of Tara Air, 10 of Sita Air and five of Summit Air on Sunday.
The problem became more intense when helicopters could not even take off due to heavy fog. With this, the tourists having a fixed schedule are facing a tough time.
Tourists coming to the Sagarmatha Zone mostly use air services. In lack of access to the road to the Khumbu region, the tourists do not have any alternative to air service.
Sagarmatha is one of the prime destinations of tourists coming to Nepal. Thousands of tourists fly to Tenjing Hilary Airport from Tribhuvan International Airport each month.
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