High winds, cloud cover, and changing visibility often mean flights can be delayed or the airport closed.

[4][5] The airport was built in 1964 under the supervision of Sir Edmund Hillary, who originally intended to build it on flat farmland.

[9] The airport's paved asphalt runway is accessible only to helicopters and small, fixed-wing, short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft such as the De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, Dornier 228, L-410 Turbolet and Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter.

The airport regularly closes from mid to late morning due to the strong southwest winds that create crosswinds or tailwinds.

A sudden loss of visibility preventing planes from landing under visual flight rules (VFR) will result in the immediate closure of the airport.

Keeping turnaround times to a minimum, planes will attempt to make as many flights as possible from either Ramechhap or Kathmandu to Lukla before the airport is closed.

Due to the difficulties of successfully landing at the airport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal sets high standards, according to which only experienced pilots, who have completed at least 100 short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) missions, have over one year of STOL experience in Nepal, and have completed ten flights into Lukla with a certified instructor pilot, are allowed to land at the airport.