Visiting Lukla Airport in Nepal was the third trip that really put Thuy Anh under pressure about life and death, the previous two trips were to Greenland and Antartica.

Ms. Hoang Thuy Anh (46 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) was the only Vietnamese person on the helicopter to Lukla airport in Nepal on March 15. The flight had 5 passengers and a pilot. Ms. Thuy Anh sat in the front row with the pilot. The weather when the helicopter took off was -5 degrees Celsius, with light fog so the conditions were still suitable for the plane to take off. Photo: NVCC

According to the Vietnamese female tourist, Lukla's runway is only 527m long and has a cliff on one side. The end of the runway is a steep mountain slope at an altitude of 2,896m above sea level. Therefore, when landing, the plane may encounter difficulties due to high drag.

Lukla Airport is known as the most dangerous airport in the world, with a runway only 527m long and a cliff on one side. The end of the runway is a steep mountain slope at an altitude of 2,846m above sea level. Photo: NVCC

Besides, in case of emergency, it is difficult for the plane to land because the area around the airport does not have a flat, safe space. Photo: NVCC

Normal weather conditions elsewhere such as sudden fog, rainstorms or snowfall can also become hazardous conditions for flights to Lukla. Photo: NVCC

She said: “For 2 months before the flight, I kept thinking about the experience that was about to take place at this airport. The first thing I worried about was the cold weather, because I was going to Nepal at the end of winter. The second thing was that I didn’t know how much altitude I could handle. Before the flight to Nepal, I even had 2 days of insomnia.”

The helicopter can fly and land at famous rest stops such as Everest Camp I, II and III, located at altitudes of over 6,000 to 7,100m. Ms. Thuy Anh expressed: “For 2 months before the flight, I kept thinking about the experience that was about to take place at this airport. Firstly, I was afraid of the cold weather, because the time I arrived in Nepal was at the end of winter. Secondly, I did not know how much I could handle the altitude.” Photo: NVCC

She said: “There was a stretch of the flight where the plane spun around for unknown reasons when it was flying near some mountain peaks. After shaking and swaying a few times, 10 minutes later, the plane began to land. I thought to myself, perhaps the people involved were all “brave”, so everyone smiled when they “got away with it”.

She said that when approaching the mountain peaks, the plane shook and swayed a few times. Ten minutes later, the plane began to land. Those were quite tense moments. Photo: NVCC

After getting off the helicopter after a 5-hour flight, Thuy Anh did not dare to jump up for joy. Before that, the pilot told a story about a passenger who jumped up for joy when getting off the plane, but then cut his hand because the helicopter's propeller was still spinning. After getting off the plane safely, she felt relieved and kicked a few times in the air to relieve her anxiety. Photo: NVCC

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