Lukla Flights from Ramechhap Airport
It was in 2019 when first time it was announced that Lukla flights won’t be from Kathmandu airport due to runway maintenance.
Since then in the high season of March April May and Sept Oct Nov, flights to Lukla are from Manthali airport in Ramechhap district. This change for Lukla flights was being introduced to ensure smooth flight operation without any air traffic and delays.
Ramechhap Airport
The airport in Manthali is the small local domestic airport in the bank of Tamakoshi River at Manthali in Ramechhap district. The airport has a well-paved runway and small parking.
Distance from Kathmandu and how to reach Ramechhap Airport
Ramechhap airport is 133 kilometers that takes 5 hours’ drive from Kathmandu. Due to the windy and foggy weather in Lukla, the flights to this airport flies only in the morning. So for Lukla flights, you need to wake up at 2 in the morning and drive to Ramechhap for 5 hours to catch the morning flight to Lukla from Manthali.
If you want to avoid waking up early in the morning, you can drive to Ramechhap the previous day and stay at hotel in Ramechhap. Hotels in Ramechhap wont be like Kathmandu and will have basic facilities. The good thing is that the chances of flight cancellation from Manthali is very rare compared to Kathmandu.