Namche Bazaar
3,440 m
Kathmandu
1,400 m
50 mins
8:00 AM
$650
per seat
$3,500
aircraft
CAAN licensed
Free weather reschedule
Rescue capable
Pheriche to Kathmandu helicopter flight
Pheriche
4,371 m
Kathmandu
1,400 m
- Flight time
- 1 hr
- Seats
- 5
- Baggage
- 12 kg
- From
- $900
Flight overview
Flying Pheriche to Kathmandu helicopter flight
| Route | Departs | Seats | Flight time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pheriche to Kathmandu helicopter flight | 7:30 AM | 5 | 1 hr |
Pheriche sits at 4,371 metres on a flat, windy valley floor, and it holds the Himalayan Rescue Association aid post, staffed through both trekking seasons by volunteer doctors. That combination makes it the most important helicopter pad in the Everest region.
The flight to Kathmandu takes about an hour and drops you almost three thousand metres. For anyone whose body has stopped adapting, that is the single most effective thing that can happen to them that day.
Not every passenger is a patient
It is worth saying that this is an ordinary scheduled flight as well as an evacuation route. Trekkers who have turned back at Dingboche, groups whose schedule has slipped, and climbers returning from Island Peak all use it. The price on this page is the passenger fare.
If it is an evacuation
Contact us directly. The information we need is the patient’s symptoms, how long they have had them, their approximate weight, whether the aid post has assessed them, and the insurance policy number. We can launch before the insurer confirms if the situation warrants it, but the paperwork afterwards goes better when we have that number at the start.
One departure, early
There is a single scheduled morning slot. The Pheriche valley is exposed and the wind through it becomes a serious operational factor by mid-morning. Later departures are possible as charters but frequently end up holding at Lukla.
- From
- Pheriche
- Aircraft
- AS350 B3e / H125
- Passenger insurance
- Included
- Flight rules
- Visual, daylight only
Pilot advisory
The Pheriche valley funnels wind hard from mid-morning onward. There is one scheduled departure and it is early for that reason. If you need to leave later in the day, expect a hold at Lukla rather than a direct run.
Pricing
What this flight costs, and what it does not include
Both figures are the price we quote on WhatsApp. A shared seat puts you on a scheduled departure with other travellers. A private charter is the whole aircraft on your schedule.
Included
- Confirmed seat or aircraft on the stated departure
- All government taxes on the charter
- Passenger liability insurance
- Pilot and crew
- Free rescheduling if the flight is held for weather
Not included
- Domestic airport service charge, NPR 400 per passenger, paid at the terminal
- Personal travel and medical insurance
- Meals, accommodation and ground transport
- National park permits and TIMS cards
- Excess baggage above the stated allowance
- Anything arising from a delay outside our control
We publish how these prices are set and when they move. Read the price transparency policy.
Operators
CAAN licensed operators
We charter aircraft only from operators that hold a current air operator certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Each one below is reviewed by us before we put passengers on their aircraft.
Air Dynasty Heli Services
Manang Air
Simrik Air
Mountain Helicopters
Altitude Air
Heli Everest
Kailash Helicopter Services
Prabhu Helicopter
Upcoming departures
The next flights on this route
All departures are subject to visual flight rules and weather. Seat counts are confirmed with operators each morning.
Landing site
Where you land at Kathmandu
- Helipad
- Tribhuvan International Airport, domestic apron
- Area
- Kathmandu Valley
- Altitude
- 1,400 m
- Coordinates
- 27.69660, 85.35910
Departures use the domestic side of Tribhuvan International. Traffic is heavy between seven and nine in the morning, so a helicopter slot can be held on the ground for twenty minutes even in perfect weather. Arrive an hour before your departure time with your passport.
Safety
What you need to know before you board
Pheriche is our busiest evacuation pad, and a proportion of the flights on this route carry someone who is unwell rather than someone who is finished.
If that is your situation, contact us directly rather than through the booking form. Tell us the symptoms, how long they have lasted, the patient’s approximate weight, and whether the Himalayan Rescue Association aid post has seen them. Have your insurance policy number to hand.
For ordinary passenger flights, the standard rules apply: twelve kilos, behind the line until the rotor stops, and no loose items on the pad. The wind at Pheriche picks up items from a surprising distance.
Questions
What travellers ask about this route
No. It is a scheduled passenger flight that anybody can book. It is simply true that Pheriche generates more medical departures than most pads, because the aid post is there.
In flyable weather and daylight, typically within one to two hours of confirmation. At night or in cloud, not at all, and no operator in Nepal can do better. This is why altitude problems need to be acted on early rather than slept on.
Most travel policies with trekking cover include helicopter evacuation, usually with an altitude limit written into the policy. Check the limit before you travel. We can bill an insurer directly where they issue a guarantee of payment.
Yes, and it costs considerably less. See the Pheriche to Lukla route if you only need to reach the trailhead.
Nothing, if you are already at Pheriche. If you are higher up, descending on foot to Pheriche and flying from there is cheaper than flying from Lobuche or Gorakshep, and the walk down is itself the treatment for altitude illness.
Hold a seat
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