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Phaplu Airport (PPL / VNPL)
Gateway to Solukhumbu, Nepal
A single asphalt strip cut into a mountain shelf at 2,413 metres, built for the district it serves and for the trekkers passing through on their way to Everest.
Quick facts
| IATA / ICAO | PPL / VNPL |
| Location | Phaplu, Solududhkunda, Solukhumbu District, Koshi Province, Nepal |
| Coordinates | 27.518°N, 86.584°E |
| Elevation | 2,413 m / 7,918 ft AMSL (some sources list up to 2,468 m) |
| Runway | 02/20, asphalt concrete, ~671 m / 2,201 ft (some sources list up to 680 m) |
| Owner / Operator | Government of Nepal / Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) |
| Flight rules | VFR only — no runway lighting or instrument approach |
| Opened | October 1976 |
| Scheduled route | Kathmandu only |
History
Phaplu Airport opened in October 1976 to give the Solukhumbu district headquarters a real link to Kathmandu, at a time when the only alternative was days of walking. The runway was later widened at the urging of Sir Edmund Hillary, whose long involvement with the Khumbu region included pushing for infrastructure that could take the DHC-6 Twin Otter — the aircraft that still defines mountain flying in Nepal today.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal closed the field in 2013 for a full repaving project and reopened it a year later with the blacktopped 02/20 runway that operates now. It remains unlit and unequipped with navigation aids, so every movement here still depends on daylight and a pilot's read of the terrain.
Why it matters: the quiet alternative to Lukla
Phaplu sits low enough and wide enough to absorb what Lukla's short, cliff-edge runway cannot: aircraft that get turned back by weather at Tenzing–Hillary Airport are frequently diverted here instead, with passengers continuing on to the Everest region by road or on foot. For trekkers, that makes Phaplu both a formal gateway to Solukhumbu and an informal safety valve for the entire Everest air corridor.
Route: Kathmandu (VNKT · KTM) → Phaplu (VNPL · PPL) → Lukla (VNLK · LUA)
From Phaplu, the trek toward Everest Base Camp adds a few extra days on foot compared with flying directly into Lukla — a trade some trekkers choose deliberately, since it eases the ascent and lowers altitude-sickness risk.
Airlines and routes
Scheduled service connects Phaplu with Kathmandu only, flown on Twin Otter and Dornier 228 aircraft by a handful of Nepali carriers. Charter operators add capacity during the autumn and spring trekking seasons.
| Airline | Route | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Nepal Airlines | Kathmandu ⇄ Phaplu | Scheduled |
| Tara Air | Kathmandu ⇄ Phaplu | Scheduled |
| Summit Air | Kathmandu ⇄ Phaplu | Scheduled |
| Sita Air | Kathmandu ⇄ Phaplu | Charter |
What to expect on the ground
- Morning-only operations. Nearly all flights depart before mid-morning; valley winds pick up in the afternoon and routinely shut the airport down.
- One aircraft at a time. The apron is built to hold a single plane comfortably, so turnarounds are quick by necessity.
- No runway lighting or instrument approach. Every landing and departure is flown visually, which is why schedules bend around the weather rather than the other way around.
- Build in a buffer day. As with every Solukhumbu airstrip, treat published departure times as a plan rather than a guarantee.
Elevation and runway figures vary slightly across official sources; this content uses the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal's published figures where available.