Syangboche Airport
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Syangboche Airport स्याङबोचे विमानस्थल | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Nepal | ||||||||||
| Operator | Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal | ||||||||||
| Serves | Namche Bazaar, Solukhumbu, Nepal | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 12,402 ft / 3,780 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 27°48′40.4″N 086°42′44.2″E / 27.811222°N 86.712278°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  Syangboche Airport Location of airport in Nepal | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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Syangboche Airport (IATA: SYH, ICAO: VNSB) is a domestic airport located in Namche Bazaar[1] serving Solukhumbu District, a district in Province No. 1 in Nepal.[1][3] The airstrip is the closest airstrip to Mount Everest and Everest Base Camp. However, it is not often used by those going to either as this is generally not viewed as consistent with safe, reasonably paced elevation acclimatization. Rather, typical users of this airstrip are tourists who plan on visiting a nearby hotel and going no higher or those who plan only on going to Namche Bazaar.[citation needed]
History
In the early 2000s, there was a controversy surrounding the expanison of the airport for tourists to skip the trek from Lukla to Namche Bazaar with Lukla entreprenuers fearing loss of business. However, the plans for expansions never materialized.[4]
Facilities
The airport is at an elevation of 12,297 feet (3,748 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway which is 405 metres (1,329 ft) in length.[1]
Airlines and destinations
The airstrip is not licensed for commercial operations and has few facilities. There are no scheduled services and most aircraft landing and departing at Syangboche are helicopters and STOL aircraft making chartered flights from Kathmandu or Lukla. The flight from Lukla to Syangboche takes between 7 and 11 minutes by helicopter. Lukla is the farthest point served by scheduled flights on the way to Mount Everest.[citation needed]
Helicopters do fly further, and higher, up to Everest Base Camp, but only for picking up exhausted or injured mountaineers or dropping critical supplies.[citation needed] Without altitude acclimatization, Syangboche is the highest point it is advisable to reach by aircraft. It is not uncommon for people visiting Syangboche to be out of breath, due to the high altitude.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c d Airport information for Syangboche, Nepal (VNSB / SYH) at Great Circle Mapper.
- ^ "Syangboche Airport" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ World-airport-codes.com Syangboche Airport accessed December 27, 2011
- ^ Limbu, Ramyata (31 May 2002). "Air war over Lukla". Nepali Times. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011.
