© hsvgerrit / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0Lukla – Kathmandu Charter
Point-to-point transfer out of Lukla when the fixed-wing flights are grounded — the most-requested charter in Nepal.
- Duration
- 55m
- Max altitude
- 12,000 ft / 3,658 m
- Best season
- Year-round
- Party
- Up to 5 people
Indicative · not a quote
Typical published fares for the Lukla – Kathmandu Charter
- One seat on a shared flight
- from US$599published range US$599–US$650
- The whole helicopter, up to 5 people
- from US$2,600published range US$2,600–US$2,900
These are published prices, not your price. They are fares operators have advertised recently. Yours comes from the quotes we collect, and it depends on the date, your party and what everybody weighs — at these altitudes payload is what moves a price. Nothing is charged until you accept a quote.
Usually flown in Airbus H130 and Airbus AS350 B3e-class helicopters.
- From
- Lukla
- VNLK · Tenzing-Hillary
- To
- Kathmandu Tribhuvan International
- Leaves at first light
Get quotes for Lukla – Kathmandu Charter
A phone number and two details. No account, no payment details — the desk calls back with quotes from the certified operators that fly this route.
How this works
- 1. You leave a number. No account, no card.
- 2. The desk asks the licensed operators flying this route.
- 3. We come back within four hours with prices. You pick one, or none.
- We aim to reply within four hours
- Nothing charged until you accept a price
About the Lukla – Kathmandu Charter
- Distance
- 135 km
- At Lukla
- 9,334 ft / 2,845 m
- At Kathmandu
- 4,390 ft / 1,338 m
- On the ground
- No landing
Highlights
- Flies when fixed-wing cannot
- Priced per aircraft, not per seat
- Typically airborne within a few hours of request
- The usual way to return by helicopter after the Everest Base Camp trek
What is included
Across the fares operators publish for this route. Each quote lists its own — compare those, because the cheapest headline price is not always the cheapest flight.
- Airport transfers in Kathmandu or Pokharaall
- All domestic airport and landing feesall
- Supplemental oxygen on board (if required)all
Normally not included
- Meals beyond those named in the itinerary
- National park entry permits
- Travel insurance (helicopter evacuation cover strongly advised)
Lukla – Kathmandu Charter: questions people ask
How much does the Lukla – Kathmandu Charter cost?
A shared seat on the Lukla – Kathmandu Charter starts at US$599 per person, and the whole five-seat helicopter starts at US$2,600. Those are the lowest fares operators have published for this route — an indicative figure, not a quote. The price you are offered depends on your date, your group's total weight and how many aircraft are free that morning. Nothing is charged until you accept a quote.
What is included in the Lukla – Kathmandu Charter?
Operators on this route commonly include: airport transfers in kathmandu or pokhara, all domestic airport and landing fees, supplemental oxygen on board (if required). Normally not included: meals beyond those named in the itinerary, national park entry permits, travel insurance (helicopter evacuation cover strongly advised). Inclusions vary between operators, and each quote lists its own — compare those rather than assuming, because the cheapest headline price is not always the cheapest flight.
What is the weight limit on this flight?
Operators on this route cap passengers at about 75 kg including your day bag, and you will be weighed at check-in. Helicopter performance drops sharply with altitude — this route reaches 12,000 ft, so the limit is a safety figure, not a guideline.
How long does the whole thing take?
About 55m door to door. Departures are early: Himalayan valleys cloud over as the day warms.
When is the best time to fly this route?
Year-round
What if the weather closes in?
You are not charged for a flight that does not happen. The operator will offer you the next time that works or give all your money back. No good operator flies into poor conditions in these valleys.
How do I get a price, and when do I pay?
Booking starts with one enquiry: your date, how many people and their weights. The flight desk asks the licensed operators that can fly it, compares their prices and comes back with the cheapest, usually within four hours. Only accepting it makes a booking, and only then do you owe anything. The figures on this page are a guide, taken from the prices operators publish.
More on Kathmandu: charter, landing sites and reading
- Charter the whole helicopter to KathmanduYour own timing and your own party: what the leg runs to on the hour meter.
- Lukla Tenzing-HillaryAerodrome at 9,334 ft / 2,845 m: codes, height and every route through it.
- Kathmandu Tribhuvan InternationalAerodrome at 4,390 ft / 1,338 m: codes, height and every route through it.
- Practical · 12 August 2026527 metres, uphill: reading Lukla's runwayThe airstrip everyone calls the world's most dangerous is built that way on purpose. What the 11.7% slope does, and why there is no second attempt.
- Practical · 19 October 2026Helicopter Transfers and Point-to-Point RoutesA transfer is the whole aircraft flown as a journey rather than a circuit. Where they go in Nepal, and why the empty return leg sets the timing.
- Industry · 16 October 2026Helicopter Companies in Nepal: the Four KindsFour kinds of company stand between you and a helicopter in Nepal, and only one holds the certificate. How to tell which one you are buying from.
Questions about the Lukla – Kathmandu Charter?
Leave a number and a dispatcher talks you through it — the aircraft, what is included, and which mornings are free.