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The Air Service Operators Association has suspended all helicopter and ship flights in the area for an indefinite period, citing threats from local groups including Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality in the Everest National Park area.
According to the first vice president of the association, Pratapjung Pandey, the rescue, charter and commercial flights in that area have been suspended since Sunday. Charter flights for tourists except for rescue have been stopped since December 17 as helicopter flights have added challenges to the environment and the protection and habitat of the forest, environment and wildlife of the park. To conduct this, a meeting of the stakeholders was held on Friday with the Minister of Home Affairs Ramesh Akbar, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey, Minister of Forest and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi. The meeting instructed the chief district officer to solve the problem.
Meanwhile, local youth groups, clubs and other stakeholders have expressed through the media that if the helicopter lands, they will arrest the driver and take action, Pandey said in a statement that until the helicopter safety is fully guaranteed, all flights in the area have been suspended indefinitely.
"The Airline Operators Association apologizes for the inconvenience caused to passengers and general public by this decision," Vice President Pandey wrote in the statement. Locals have blocked the helipad of Khumbu area by burying a flag saying that since January 1, they are not allowed to fly in that area except for emergency flights.
