Last Flight to Lukla

By Nigel A. Bernard

Pemba is in Kathmandu and must get the last flight of the day to Lukla. Will he make it to Kathmandu airport in time? Will he arrive safely at Lukla, the most dangerous airport in the world? Join Pemba on his white knuckle ride of adventure in the Himalayas …

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781326533649

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Last Flight to Lukla

Last flight to Lukla

‘Lukla?’ said the taxi driver. ‘You’re flying to Lukla? Are you crazy? That’s the most dangerous airport in the world!’

‘Yes, I know,’ I said. I was anxious. I had been picked up outside the trekking office about five minutes earlier, but we were still in the same street. ‘Could we hurry, please?’ I asked, as I looked at my watch. ‘I don’t want to miss my plane.’

The driver shrugged. ‘This is Thamel, one of the busiest areas of Kathmandu. I cannot go any faster.’ He hooted his horn and a rickshaw ahead of us swerved to one side. But the street was really only a narrow alley. It was full of people, rickshaws and mopeds. He was right, we couldn’t go any faster.

He was also right about Lukla airport. It is high in the Himalayas, surrounded by mountains. The high altitude means the air is thin, which makes flying difficult. The wind can be very strong and the weather can turn ugly without warning.

But what makes the airport even more scary is the runway. One end, where the aircraft approaches to land, is at