Syangboche Airport
Airport in Nepal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Syangboche Airport (Nepali: स्याङ्बोचे हवाइ-मैदान) (IATA: SYH, ICAO: VNSB) is a domestic airport located in Namche Bazaar[1] serving Solukhumbu District, a district in Koshi Province in Nepal. Syangboche Airport’s first and foremost challenge is its elevation at 3,780 m (12,402 ft); it is exposed to some of the most extreme and capricious weather conditions in the world, with heavy winds, fog and snowfall.
Syangboche Airport स्याङबोचे हवाइ-मैदान | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Nepal | ||||||||||
| Operator | Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal | ||||||||||
| Serves | Namche Bazaar, Solukhumbu, Nepal | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 12,402 ft / 3,780 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 27°48′40.4″N 086°42′44.2″E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  Syangboche Airport Location of airport in Nepal | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Sources: [1][2] | |||||||||||
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History
The airport was constructed in 1971 by a team led by Takashi Miyahara and was opened with a test flight by Royal Nepal Airlines on June 1, 1973.[3] It was built to serve Hotel Everest View, at the time the highest-placed hotel in the world.[4]
In the early 2000s, an expansion proposal that would let tourists skip the trek from Lukla to Namche Bazaar met opposition from Lukla entrepreneurs who feared a loss of business. However, the plans for expansion never materialized.[5]
Facilities
Airlines and destinations
Currently, there are no scheduled services to and from Syangboche Airport. Previously Nepal Airlines and Tara Air operated routes to Kathmandu.[6] The nearest open airport is Tenzing–Hillary Airport, located 13 km south of Namche Bazaar.