Syangboche Airport (Nepali: स्याङ्बोचे हवाइ-मैदान) (IATA: SYH, ICAO: VNSB) is a domestic airport located in Namche Bazaar[1] serving Solukhumbu District, a district in Koshi Province in Nepal. Syangboche Airport’s first and foremost challenge is its elevation at 3,780 m (12,402 ft); it is exposed to some of the most extreme and capricious weather conditions in the world, with heavy winds, fog and snowfall.

Syangboche Airport

स्याङबोचे हवाइ-मैदान
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGovernment of Nepal
OperatorCivil Aviation Authority of Nepal
ServesNamche Bazaar, Solukhumbu, Nepal
Elevation AMSL12,402 ft / 3,780 m
Coordinates27°48′40.4″N 086°42′44.2″E / 27.811222°N 86.712278°E / 27.811222; 86.712278
Map
Syangboche Airport is located in Nepal
Syangboche Airport
Syangboche Airport
Location of airport in Nepal
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
13/31 405 1,329 unpaved
Sources: [1][2]
Syangboche airstrip

History

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The airport was constructed in 1971 by a team led by Takashi Miyahara and was opened with a test flight by Royal Nepal Airlines on June 1, 1973.[3] It was built to serve Hotel Everest View [jp], at the time the highest-placed hotel in the world.[4]

In the early 2000s, an expansion proposal that would let tourists skip the trek from Lukla to Namche Bazaar met opposition from Lukla entrepreneurs who feared a loss of business. However, the plans for expansion never materialized.[5]

Facilities

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The airport is at an elevation of 3,748 m (12,297 ft) and has one runway with a length of 405 m (1,329 ft).[1]

Airlines and destinations

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Currently, there are no scheduled services to and from Syangboche Airport. Previously Nepal Airlines and Tara Air operated routes to Kathmandu.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Airport information for Syangboche, Nepal (VNSB / SYH) at Great Circle Mapper.
  2. ^ "Syangboche Airport" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  3. ^ Miyahara, Takashi (1982). ヒマラヤの灯―ホテル・エベレスト・ビューを建てる (in Japanese). ISBN 978-4163376806.
  4. ^ Khatri, Shirish (November 2016). "The Himalayan Inspiration". ECS Nepal. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  5. ^ Limbu, Ramyata (31 May 2002). "Air war over Lukla". Nepali Times. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011.
  6. ^ "Syangboche Airport deprived of Flight Operation from Past decade". Aviation Nepal. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2020.