Around the same time that Nepal hosted a 5-Day FIA Drone training in Nepal as it trained participants from four countries, the nation’s Home Ministry lifted a five-day ban on cargo drone operations at Mount Everest on May 5, 2026, reinstating clearance for Airlift Technology — a Nepali startup — to resume flights between the Everest Base Camp and Camp I in the Khumbu Icefall.
Nepal had recently permitted the demonstration of a US-made drone, the Freefly Systems Alta X Gen 2, at Everest Base Camp — an event attended by Sergio Gor, the US Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs — while Chinese-manufactured DJI FlyCart 100 drones had been operating commercially on the mountain since 2025.
Drone technology might be useful in a now defunct aerodrome such as Syangboche (above) where a lot of cargo flights are conducted.
Nepal’s Home Ministry Suspends Drone Operations Citing Vague Security Concerns
Airlift Technology’s operations were abruptly suspended on April 30 evening by the Home Ministry, citing unspecified security concerns, despite the company holding a tripartite agreement with the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality to transport garbage and supplies between Base Camp and Camp I.
The suspension order appeared to target two drones — the Chinese-made DJI FlyCart 100 and the American-made Freefly Systems Alta X Gen 2 — both associated with Airlift’s operations. Debendra Subedi, assistant chief district officer at the District Administration Office in Solukhumbu, confirmed that the Home Ministry’s order applied only to those two drones operating at Everest Base Camp, though he noted the district office had yet to receive an official communication.
Raj Bikram Maharjan, CEO of Airlift Technology, expressed frustration at the opacity of the order:
“We were unable to proceed because a suspension order had been issued…There has been confusion over our operation, even though we have been working with SPCC and the local government since last year.”
The company had already delivered four aluminum ladders, five rolls of rope, and oxygen cylinders to Camp I earlier in the season before the halt.
US And Chinese Drones Compete for Everest’s Slopes
On Friday, May 1, a helicopter landed on the Seven Summit Treks helipad at Everest Base Camp carrying dignitaries from the United States. Sergio Gor, the US Ambassador to India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs, had come to Base Camp to promote American drone technology — part of the Trump Administration’s “Trade Not Aid” policy, implemented after the shuttering of USAID and other foreign aid programs.
A Home Ministry official said the decision to suspend Airlift’s operations was influenced in part by concerns relayed through the Foreign Ministry, amid heightened sensitivity over the presence of both American and Chinese technologies on Everest. “There were also reports circulating that Airlift was planning to deploy a robot from an American company,” the official quoted in Asia News Network said. Nepal currently has no legal framework permitting a non-human entity to attempt an ascent of the peak.
The mountain straddles the international border between Nepal and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, with the summit lying directly on the boundary shared by the two nations.
Officials at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation had flagged potential security risks associated with drone operations approximately six weeks before the ban, particularly regarding geo-mapping capabilities and other sensitive functionalities. Another government official stationed at Everest Base Camp, however, described the suspension as a reaction driven largely by speculation. “The Home Ministry acted quickly, but much of it was based on rumours,” the official said.
Two Climbers Injured in the Khumbu Icefall Prompted Drone Use
The urgency of drone deployment became acutely evident following a fresh incident in the Khumbu Icefall. According to the Department of Tourism, climbers and Sherpa guides heading towards Camp II for acclimatization were struck when part of a serac collapsed onto the route at around 4:45 am on Tuesday. Of the four individuals affected, one Sherpa guide and one Indian climber were injured and later airlifted to Kathmandu, where they received treatment at HAMS Hospital*.
The incident triggered immediate panic, prompting the Expedition Operators Association Nepal and the Icefall Doctors to seek drone assistance to assess the situation and locate climbers — assistance that Airlift could not provide. Milan Pandey, co-founder of Airlift Technology, told Outside magazine that the company had planned to map the icefall every five days. “If we could have followed this plan, maybe we could have identified this weakness in the icefall and informed the Icefall Doctors to go around it,” he said.
Pandey added that the drones could have also flown over the site of the serac collapse to scout for a helicopter landing spot, and could have ferried the ladders and equipment the Icefall Doctors needed to reopen the route quickly, enabling the remainder of the climbers to descend safely. The rescue was eventually completed approximately 45 minutes later without drone support, but the episode starkly illustrated the operational gap created by the ban.
[* Only a year or so ago, a helicopter registered 9N-AMS crashed in the Lobuche region of Everest. The Everest region is notorious for a string of deadly aviation accidents in Lukla Airport, which is considered to be the most dangerous airport in the world, though this might be a myth.]
Expedition Operators Describe a Season Organized Around Drone Logistics
Mingma Wongchu Sherpa, Managing Director of Himalayan Sherpa Adventure — leading a British Army expedition with 11 clients attempting the summit — told Outside that his expedition’s logistics strategy had been built entirely around drone service. “I filled out the form for 1,500 kilograms of cargo to be flown to Camp I via drones,” he said. “But now that the operation is halted, we don’t have enough manpower. Our whole expedition was organised around drones.”
He elaborated on the safety dimension driving that choice: “As an operator I employ a lot of Sherpas and climbing guides, and I really care for them. Every evening when they leave it’s kind of emotional for me. They are doing this multiple times so our clients can go once. I really appreciate the idea of drones.” He added: “If the drones don’t operate, I have to mobilize my team even more, which I’m totally against. Ferrying that amount of gear is going to take my team eight or nine extra trips through the icefall.”
