Kathmandu, November 1: Flights at Tenzing–Hillary Airport in Lukla, known as the gateway to Mount Everest, have been suspended for the past three days due to bad weather. Continuous rainfall and thick fog have blanketed the region, making visibility extremely poor.

As flights remain grounded, hotels from Lukla to Namche Bazaar are packed with stranded tourists. According to Nawaraj Katuwal, Air Traffic Controller (ATC) at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Lukla office, no flights have been possible since Thursday because of persistent rain. Normally, around 60 flights operate daily during this season, but all have been canceled.

“The visibility is too low due to the rain, and not only airplanes but even helicopters have been unable to fly,” said Katuwal. “Although a few helicopters operated last Thursday, none have flown since then.” With flights halted, tourists who had finished their trekking in the Khumbu region are now stuck in Lukla. Hotels and guesthouses in Lukla are currently full of stranded travelers.

Amrit Magar, Lukla station in-charge of Tara Air, said about 1,500 tourists who had booked tickets through the airline are stranded there. “All hotels in Lukla are full, and it’s hard to find rooms for new guests,” he said.

Local resident Toya Kumar Shrestha mentioned that some hotels have had to accommodate tourists in their lobbies. Julie Marie, a tourist from France, said they were waiting for flights to resume. “We returned to Lukla from Everest Base Camp three days ago, but since flights are canceled, we’re stuck here,” she said.

The situation is similar in Namche Bazaar. Hotels there are also fully occupied. Lama Kaji Sherpa, chairperson of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, said around 1,200 tourists are currently stuck in Namche.

“Continuous rainfall and snowfall in higher areas have forced many trekkers to return to Namche. Those who had started from Lukla towards upper regions are also stranded here. At the moment, all hotels in Namche are fully occupied,” he said.

According to trekker Tek Rai, Namche has not seen sunlight for the past four days. Tourists are spending their time reading books and listening to music.

Some tourists are trying to return to Kathmandu by road via Salleri, as flights remain canceled. However, that route is also difficult. According to tourism entrepreneur Bal Darnal, landslides and muddy sections caused by the monsoon have blocked several parts of the Solukhumbu–Kathmandu road.

In particular, heavy rainfall and mudslides around Kavrepalanchok and Sindhuli along the BP Highway have led to hours-long traffic jams.

According to meteorologist Saroj Pudasaini from the Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology in Kathmandu, the monsoon remains active, and heavy rainfall and snowfall are still likely.

He said, “Monsoon conditions will persist across Koshi Province and other Himalayan and hilly regions for the next two to three days. Only after that is the weather expected to gradually improve.”

People’s News Monitoring Service.