2/ 5 reviews
Easy in & out
“Be prepared to disembark and embark the plane quickly.”
Freetirement Randy & Lori4★ on Google
Airports / Nepal / LUA
Medium airport · LUA
Tenzing-Hillary Airport.
Lukla, Nepal · 9,380 ft elevation. A private-aviation gateway on the Bravo register.
4.5/5
Google rating
931 ratings
0
Operators based
9,380
Elevation ft
Scheduled service
Lukla, NepalELEV 9,380 FTMedium airportScheduled service
4.5
Google rating
931
Google reviews
ratings on Google
9,380
Field elevation
feet above sea level
55
Nearest alternate
nm to DDR
Field standing
#1 / 9
Nepal airports by Google rating
4.5★ across 931 Google ratings , ranked against 9 rated Nepal fields.
55 nm
To the nearest alternate
Shigatse Tingri Airport (DDR).
Overview
Tenzing-Hillary Airport, listed as VNLK / LUA, is a mid-sized airport in Lukla, Nepal. The field lies at an elevation of 9,380 feet. The airport supports scheduled airline service as well as private jet and charter movements.
LUA has no resident charter fleet; trips here are typically flown by operators repositioning from surrounding airports. Useful alternates include Shigatse Tingri Airport (DDR, 55 nm), Taplejung Airport (TPJ, 55 nm), and Janakpur Airport (JKR, 73 nm). At 1,729-foot, the runway favors turboprops and light general aviation over jet operations.
Quotes for flights out of LUA vary with aircraft type, repositioning, and schedule flexibility. The airport is also known as Lukla and Mount Everest. Use the cost estimator to model a trip from LUA, or browse verified operators serving the area.
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What fliers highlight.
From the stored review texts
2/ 5 reviews
Staff & service
“These are professionals who have mastered one of the toughest flight environments on the planet, and their expertise is the difference between a thrilling adventure and a mere travel memory.”
Daniel Henderson5★ on Google
Themes counted by keyword across Google review texts for Tenzing-Hillary Airport, every quote is verbatim from a real review.
Field capability
ICAO
VNLK
IATA
LUA
FAA / Local
VNLK
Elevation
9,380 ft
Coordinates
27.6868° N · 86.7295° E
Airspace
G · GolfClass G, GolfUncontrolled field, no tower. Pilots self-announce and sequence themselves on the common traffic advisory frequency.Source: FAA NASR class airspace
Size
Medium
Scheduled svc
Yes
Elevation vs Nepal fields
state range 236–9,380 ft
At 9,380 ft, LUA sits higher than 89% of the 9 Nepal fields on the register, a high-elevation field where density altitude can trim aircraft performance on warm days.
Runways & aircraft access
1 runway
longest 1,729 ft
- 06/241,729 ft × 98 ftAsphaltUnlit
Which aircraft can operate here
vs longest paved runway 1,729 ft
At 1,729 ft, LUA is generally suited to piston and turboprop aircraft rather than jets.
- Turboprop3,000 ft
- Light Jet3,500 ft
- Midsize Jet4,500 ft
- Super-Midsize Jet5,000 ft
- Heavy Jet5,500 ft
- VIP Airliner6,000 ft
Class minimums are sea-level planning rules of thumb. A specific aircraft's balanced-field length varies with weight, temperature, and field elevation, and at 9,380 ft this field's density altitude can extend the runway a jet actually needs on warm days. Confirm performance with the operator.
Access & alternates
Closest alternate fields by great-circle distance, every listing links to its own field brief.
- 55nmDDRShigatse Tingri AirportXigazê (Dingri)
- 55nmTPJTaplejung AirportTaplejung
- 73nmJKRJanakpur AirportJanakpur
- 73nmKTMTribhuvan International AirportKathmandu
- 78nmBIRBiratnagar AirportBiratnagar
- 100nmDBRDarbhanga AirportDarbhanga
Location
Open the full mapVNLK · Tenzing-Hillary Airport · Lukla, Nepal
Flight times from here
Approximate nonstop block times from LUA on a typical midsize charter jet. Faster classes trim these; add positioning and taxi for the real schedule.
| Destination | Distance | Block time |
|---|---|---|
| Anchorage (ANC) | 4,806 nm | 11h 35m |
| Seattle (SEA) | 6,031 nm | 14h 26m |
| Honolulu (HNL) | 6,041 nm | 14h 27m |
| Jackson Hole (JAC) | 6,420 nm | 15h 20m |
| Boston (BED) | 6,423 nm | 15h 20m |
| New York (TEB) | 6,555 nm | 15h 39m |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 6,558 nm | 15h 39m |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) | 6,566 nm | 15h 40m |
Common questions
- Can private jets use LUA?
- At 1,729 ft, Tenzing-Hillary Airport is generally suited to turboprop and piston aircraft rather than jets. Charter flyers usually depart from a nearby field with a longer runway.
- What is the longest runway at LUA?
- Tenzing-Hillary Airport has one runway; the longest measures 1,729 ft on a paved surface.
- What is the nearest major airport to LUA?
- The closest alternate is Shigatse Tingri Airport (DDR), about 55 nm away, followed by Taplejung Airport (TPJ) at 55 nm. Operators often position aircraft between these fields depending on ramp space and availability.
- How long is a flight from LUA to major cities?
- Typical block times on a midsize jet: Anchorage about 11h 35m (4,806 nm), Seattle about 14h 26m (6,031 nm), Honolulu about 14h 27m (6,041 nm). Faster classes trim these times; add positioning and taxi for the real schedule.