October 12: Due to bad weather, foreign tourists have been stranded in Manthali for the past five days as flights to Lukla have been canceled.  Tourists waiting for flights to Lukla have agreed with various companies to fly. They say that they are facing problems in staying in Manthali daily.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority, Ramechhap, nearly two hundred flights have been canceled from Saturday to Wednesday.  Ashok Thapa, the chief of the authority, said that flights would be able to land in Lukla only when the weather in Phaplu improved.

Helicopter companies stated that visibility is low for even choppers to fly to Lukla airport.  According to Chief Thapa, three airlines have kept 7 aircrafts and crew members, including pilots on standby.

"Sita Air has parked two aircrafts, Yeti Airlines has parked two, and Summit Air has parked three at the airport," he said. "From Saturday, except for helicopters, no other flights are possible for Lukla."

The weather in Lukla has been extremely bad, so the aviation authority has informed that it will be difficult to land the aircraft. "For landing, the pilot needs to see some distance at the airport. But the weather in Lukla is bad, the wind is not blowing smoothly, and there are problems with landing," Thapa said.

The month of October is main tourist season. Majority of tourists go to Sagarmatha Base Camp and some trek to Lukla for a Himalayan view.

Foreign tourists come to Nepal for a Himalayan view. Earlier, tourists who trekked from Jiri, Dolakha, used to reach Lukla, but now they come by plane and helicopter.

Visitors returning from the Sagarmatha Base Camp are also suffering due to the bad weather, said Chief Thapa. The flight cancellation has left tourists who have come to Nepal with a definite time. Some tourists said that they have fixed tickets to return to their country.

Lukla bound tourists from Kathmandu reach Manthali via road route and then flown to Lukla by plane and helicopter.