Can a helicopter fly on top of Mount Everest? Helicopter to Everest Peak

Mount Everest is the pride of our whole world, and there might not be an individual who wouldn’t dream of conquering Mount Everest at least once in a lifetime. Just a glimpse of Everest can be an exciting experience in your life, whether it be by trekking or the helicopter flight to Mount Everest

With the development of technology and science becoming extremely advanced, getting anywhere in the world has become extremely easy, and Mount Everest is no exception. You can effortlessly reach the top of Mount Everest without walking for weeks, risking your life, and spending thousands of dollars. A helicopter tour to Everest base camp is cheaper than trekking to Everest.

A helicopter tour to Everest Base Camp, organized by Himalayan Masters, costs $1500 per person, the same as trekking to Everest. This trip includes three landings at Lukla, Everest Base Camp/Kala Patthar, and Hotel Everest View.

The real question is, can a helicopter fly to the top of Mount Everest? Looking at the past and a few examples, we can claim that a helicopter ride to Mt. Everest is technically possible. Didier Delsalle made the first flight to the Everest summit in 2015, setting a world record. However, there haven’t been many flights after that.

The typical helicopter flight to Mount Everest involves only the Everest base camp and Kala Patthar. Furthermore, the rescue helicopter for Everest quickly flies off at 6250 m at camp I of the Everest expedition. He flew to the top of Everest on the Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel helicopter. However, any flight beyond that to the peak of Everest is rare, and a helicopter landing at Everest Peak is next to impossible.

Now, an average helicopter usually flies at a height of 3000 meters, and the Everest summit lies at 8848.86 meters above sea level. This means an aircraft will be flying almost three times its average height. So, you can imagine that flying a helicopter and landing at Everest Peak has many complications.

Why Can’t Helicopters Fly to the Everest Summit?

There are several factors affecting the complications in flying to the summit of the world’s highest peak. One major reason is that it is prohibited to fly a commercial flight to the summit; only rescue missions are allowed by the Nepal government. This is to prevent people from frequently flying to Everest, which might tamper with the standard, traditional significance of mountaineering.

Some of the other problems with flying to the Everest summit are mentioned below.

Low Air Pressure/Density and Oxygen Levels

Air pressure/density decreases as altitude increases. So, with every meter elevation gain, the air pressure and breathable oxygen level decrease. Due to this declination in air pressure, the air required to lift the helicopter upward is not sufficient. Resulting in difficulty in flying over the summit of mighty Everest. Only specially built helicopters to fly in high altitudes can fly at such conditions and altitudes.

The oxygen level on the top is almost one-third that of the sea level. Hence, there is not even enough oxygen for breathing. In such harsh conditions, if you attempt to get outside without oxygen or run out of cylinders, it can be life-threatening.

Error Prevention

Since the weather and air pressure in the mountains are constantly fluctuating, the helicopter calculations and fittings will not be suitable. The measure of temperature and pressure can fluctuate at any time and lead to great disaster.

Harsh Weather Problems

The weather conditions in Everest or any of the mountains are quite unpredictable.

Imagine that you plan the entire trek for more than a year and spend thousands of dollars, knowing that the visibility has been blocked due to the snowfall or clouds. Then you’ll have to make the bookings again and spend a lot of money. Predicting the weather in the mountains and flying the right way is a big challenge.

Almost throughout the year, the entire area is freezing and filled with snowstorms and dangerous avalanches. Despite low wind pressure, the strong winds are usually at 75 mph (120 kph), which is intolerable for humans. If you had to encounter one such event, the entire Helicopter going to the peak of Everest could crash.

Difficult Terrain

The entire mountain terrain is difficult for both walking and flying. Even though you can fly near the mountain, the steep peak makes it impossible to land a helicopter on Everest’s top. A helicopter requires around 10 meters of flat land, and such space is impossible here.

Need Advanced Helicopter and Pilot

The helicopters you see in everyday life or the ones used for typical mountain flights cannot take you to the top of Everest. You need a specially designed helicopter that is very lightweight and able to overcome the problems of pressure. The aircraft to the peak of Everest also needs a highly experienced and confident pilot who has been flying to high altitudes or mountains regularly. And even with specially modified helicopters and experienced pilots, there is no guarantee that you will be able to land. 

Landings on Helicopter Flight to Mount Everest

As we have already discussed, landing at the Everest summit is extremely risky and illegal. However, you can fly in the Everest region up to 7000 meters with a special permit. Helicopter Everest flights landing at Everest base camp (Kala Patthar) are very common and affordable in Nepal.

Landing in the Everest region is possible in multiple villages along the route. For example, you can land on a helicopter at Lukla airport or the Namche Bazaar. There are helipads for landing at all villages in the Everest region between the height of 3000 to 5000 meters, but only a few helicopters actually land at these points.

Likewise, in the EBC helicopter tour conducted by Himalayan Masters, you can land at Lukla, Pheriche, Hotel Everest View, and Kala Patthar. However, Nepal government rules and regulations sometimes might restrict flights to Everest. So, be updated about the latest news. You can also customize landing locations and duration, which might cost extra money.

Similarly, after reaching the EBC, if you wish to return in Helicopter, you can hire a helicopter and fly back to Kathmandu from Gorakshep (5140 m/16863.5 ft).

Highest Landing Point in Everest

The highest landing point for commercial flights (unless it’s an emergency) is at a spot below Kala Patthar that is at a height of 5,550 meters (18209 ft). This is the best viewpoint for Everest, where you can spend a long time witnessing the beautiful panorama of Everest and the other mountain peaks around it.

Another famous landing point is at Everest base camp at 5,364 meters (17598.5 ft). So, yes, you can get directly into the Everest base Camp without having to trek for several days and land here for about 30 minutes (staying more than that causes altitude sickness).

Helicopter Landings at Everest Camps

Beyond EBC, only rescue flights are allowed. These flights are specially designed to fly at such altitudes. Furthermore, flight operators require permits to fly helicopters in the  Everest region.

Landing at Everest Camp I—The first camp of Everest is at 6,065 m (19,900 ft). There is little space for a landing, and only a rescue helicopter can land here in an emergency.

Landing at Everest Camp II—The second base camp is at 6400m (20997 ft) and has a larger clearance ground for landing. Among the three landing points beyond base camp, this is the easiest one to land.

Landing at Everest Camp III—Camp III is the highest landing point on Everest, at 7100m (23293 feet). Rescue helicopters use ropes to evacuate beyond this point. Camp III has around 100 feet of clearance space for landing.

How high can a helicopter fly in Everest?

The normal Helicopter can fly up to 3,000 m. However, it is not suitable for tours to the Everest region; it is in Nepal.

In Nepal, turbine helicopter tours are famous for helicopter flight to Mount Everest. Turbine helicopters with higher engine capacities can quickly fly up to 7,200 meters. This means that on a regular helicopter flight to Mount Everest, you can see the Everest summit from a distance and witness many other majestic mountains during the flight.

However, flying above the peak and landing there can be really risky and not recommended. Instead, we can land at Everest Base Camp or Kala Patthar. Another landing at Lukla for refuelling and the Hotel Everest View for breakfast are highlights of Mount Everest helicopter tours.

Do you think regular helicopter Everest summits will be shared soon?

Looking at the developments of helicopters in recent years and the limited availability of helicopters in Nepal, it doesn’t seem likely that there will be a regular Helicopter flight to Mount Everest in the near future. Also, creating a landing space anywhere near the Everest summit is impossible.

Maybe regular flights to the summit will commence in a decade or two, and they will be pretty common. Even then, landing the helicopter at the Everest summit would be challenging.

Have helicopters ever gone beyond Mount Everest?

Yes, there have been a few examples when helicopters have been able to fly beyond Everest. In 1972, an Aerospatiale SA 315 Lama could fly up to 12,442 meters for the first time, setting a world record. This record was beaten in 2002 when the Eurocopter AS350 B2 flew over a height of 12,954 meters. However, this is not a regular activity and is one of the rare historical events that came with life-threatening risks.

Helicopter rescue in Everest

Whether it be the Everest base camp trek or the Everest expedition, helicopter rescue is quite common. For that, you need to have travel insurance that covers any casualties at a higher altitude, including helicopter rescue. Your trekking agency in Nepal does not arrange the insurance policy; instead, you need to get this insurance from your home country.

Without insurance, booking a helicopter ride to Mount Everest costs between $2000 and $4000, depending on your location and the number of people in the group. Many trekkers, especially those headed for peak climbing in the Everest region, such as Lobuche and Mera Peak, take helicopter rescue.

Nevertheless, accidents can occur anywhere, anytime, especially in high-altitude treks in rugged terrains. Therefore, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour

If you are disappointed that you cannot fly to Everest Peak, we have something equally magical for you. You can easily book Everest helicopter tours from Kathmandu and complete the entire journey in less than three hours.

In fact, this helicopter ride to EBC is so familiar that we can arrange a shared helicopter for you. This trip offers a regular flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, landing at Lukla. Then, we will fly to EBC.

Depending on the cost of your package, you can either land at Everest Base Camp, Kala Patthar, or both. Then, the landing will be done at Hotel Everest View, and finally, we will fly back to Kathmandu.

A helicopter tour is undoubtedly the most comfortable and cheapest way to witness the beauty of Everest.

Everest Base Camp Heli Trek

This might not be very clear, but this is, in fact, an exciting trekking arrangement in Nepal. In this Everest Base Camp heli trek, trekkers can savour all the cultural and natural beauty of the region, as well as explore Kathmandu.

On this trip, you will first fly to Lukla and trek up to Namche Bazaar. Then, hike to Hotel Everest View and Thame, and finally fly to EBC and Kala Patthar. Finally, after enjoying the beauty of Everest, trekkers can fly back to Kathmandu or extend a helicopter tour to Gokyo Lakes or other regions of Everest.

This journey aims to give you the experience of both trekking and mountain flight in a short period of time and within your budget.

Remember Us for the Helicopter Flight to Mount Everest

Our EBC helicopter tour is the best-selling package in Nepal. We depart every day to Mount Everest Base Camp by Helicopter. To join this helicopter tour, contact us at [email protected] or WhatsApp at +9779823636377. 

We also have an Everest Base Camp Helicopter return trek. This trek might be the best for people who find it hard to trek a lot. You will reach the Everest Base camp and enjoy the view by trekking up there, and return back to Kathmandu with a thrilling helicopter ride. It sounds amazing, right?

So, if you are interested in trekking in the Everest region or any region of Nepal, we will help you out. Just leave a comment below for your queries.