L-410
World’s Most Dangerous Airport Becomes a Toehold for Aid after Nepal Earthquakes
Lukla’s 1,700-foot-long runway starts on top of a cliff and ends in a wall.
Over the last month, the airport has received tons of tents, food and medicine, and served as an escape route for stranded tourists and locals whose homes were ruined by the quakes.
“We are trying our best to come up with the best we can do,” says Sanjima Sharma, commercial secretary from Goma Air, one of Nepal’s commercial airlines flying to Lukla from the capital Kathmandu. “We helped the people with the daily basic needs like temporary shed, food supplies and medicines.”
One of Goma Air’s L-410s unloading aid.
Goma Air is flying to Lukla two new Czech L-410 turboprops built Aircraft Industries and powered by H80 engines from GE Aviation. Karel Zatloukal, an Aircraft Industries technician who just returned from Lukla, says that after the first earthquake, the planes were taking wounded off the mountain, and after the second tumbler in May, they were hauling cargo to Lukla and victims back to the capital.
Climbers and survivors are waiting to board a Goma Air flight from Lukla.
Goma Air put the two Czech planes in service last year after conducting rigorous high-altitude trials and testing their short takeoff and landing capabilities. Tests included a crew from GE Aviation. (You can read about them here and watch the video below.)
The GE Foundationis also sponsoring relief efforts in Nepal. It helped fund AmeriCare’s aid airlift to Kathmandu.
