The Air Service Operators Association, the umbrella organization of domestic airlines and helicopters, has indefinitely suspended helicopter flights in the Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality area of ​​Mount Everest National Park, citing threats and obstruction from locals.

The statement issued by the first vice president of the association, Pratapjung Pandey, states that the local youth groups, clubs and other stakeholders have expressed through the media that 'if the helicopter lands in the park area, the driver will be arrested and punished', until the helicopter safety is fully guaranteed, all flights in the area have been suspended indefinitely.&nbsp ;

Due to bad weather, flights have not been regular in Lukla in Khumbu region for the past few days. Vice President Pandey said that after the decision to stop the helicopter flight, it was also decided to suspend the commercial flight by ship in Lukla. "The Airline Operators Association apologizes for the inconvenience caused to passengers and general public by this decision," said the statement issued by the association on Sunday afternoon. 

Helicopters have been flying charter flights from Kathmandu, Ramechhap and Lukla for the rescue of locals, transportation of goods and tourists in the Khumbu region. Air Dynasty, Prabhu, Kailash, Annapurna, Mountain, Altitude, Fistel, Shree, Cymric, Heli Everest and Manang Air helicopters were conducting charter and rescue flights in the Khumbu region. In Lukla, currently Summit Air, Sita Air and Tara Air are flying from Kathmandu and Ramechhap. 

The Everest National Park Office has completely stopped commercial helicopter flights from December 17, stating that due to excessive noise pollution caused by helicopter flights, the settlements and wildlife habitats in the central area of ​​the park have been affected.

Last December 26, Everest National Park Office Namche instructed 11 helicopter companies in Nepal not to fly commercially in the protected area from December 17 (January 1, 2025). The union had earlier said that it would reject the decision of the park to ban commercial flights.

'As the Nepal government reserves the right to ban flights using the Civil Aviation Act, we businessmen are not forced to stop flights in the Everest region,' said Manoj Karki, president of the Air Service Operators Association.

President Karki claims that the Everest National Park Office and local groups have banned flights beyond their jurisdiction. Minister of Home Affairs Ramesh Akhtar called a meeting of stakeholders on Friday to discuss the park's decision to ban flights in the Khumbu area. 

The Home Minister called Khumbu Pasanglhamu Village Chairman Mingma Chiri Sherpa from Singha Darbar right from the meeting. In a meeting with the stakeholders including Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey, Minister of Forests and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi, Minister of Federal Affairs and General Administration Rajkumar Gupta, an official participating in the meeting said that the Home Minister had instructed the Chief District Officer of Solukhumbu, Anuj Kumar Ghimire, to remove the obstacle to the helicopter flight. 

However, taking the stance of not removing the ban on flights, the local people overruled it and made the helicopter land after taking control of the pilot and warning him to walk.

Airline Operators Association sent its First Vice President Pratapjung Pandey, who is also the owner of Kailash Helicopter, to the Khumbu region twice to negotiate with the locals after the flight was disrupted. We held talks in Lukla twice on Monday and Friday under the leadership of Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality. But the talks failed after some of them maintained the position that the authority of the center should be in the rural villages,' said Pandey, the coordinator of the talks. 

The park has indicated that helicopters make excessive commercial flights/landings within the Everest National Park and the intermediate area. Due to uncontrolled helicopter flights and landings, the park's forest, environment and wildlife safety and habitat protection have been added to the challenge. 

"Helicopter flights have caused excessive noise pollution in the settlements within the park and the intermediate area, on the other hand, there is a possibility of criminal activities/activities related to wildlife and poaching," the instruction letter given to the helicopters by the park on November 26 is written.

The responsibility of the Nepali Army's Bhagwati Prasad Gulm Namche and Everest National Park Intermediate Area Management Committee Mendalfu has been assigned to monitor and implement the flight prohibition decision made by the park and rural municipality.

According to Sushma Rana, senior conservation officer of the park, there is a negative impact on local trade, business and employment in the Khumbu area due to the helicopter flight. She said that after the complaints of the locals, the Park Office, Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality, Everest National Park Intermediate Area Management Committee, local, concerned governmental and non-governmental organizations decided to stop the flight to organize the helicopter flight. 

The park has been taking a stance that if the directive is violated, it will be against the National Parks and Wildlife Protection Act 2029, the Himalayan National Park Regulations 2036 and prevailing laws. Due to the health of the visiting tourists and hikers, only the helicopters that have been given permission to fly can fly, and if there is a need to fly, the ward office, the relevant intermediate consumer association, and the nearby health post must take oral or written recommendations and the park will only give permission to fly. 

Helicopters are also banned from transporting cargo above Pangboche. During the Everest climbing season, the tourist business has been banned from transporting goods by helicopter to the base camp of Everest.