Nepal resumes rescue helicopter flights to Mount Everest

Nepali airlines have resumed rescue helicopter flights to the Everest region, an aviation industry official announced Tuesday, following weeks of suspension prompted by protests from locals citing environmental impact and loss of income from trekkers. Helicopters are a key means of transport and crucial for emergency rescue in many remote regions around mountainous Nepal, vast stretches of which are often inaccessible by road. But they have also been used to give mountaineering teams and tourists a shortcut over challenging terrain in the Sagarmatha National Park, home to Mount Everest, the world's highest peak. For those who can afford the $1,000 price tag, helicopters reduce the two-week long trek to Everest base camp to just a day -- depriving Nepalis along the overland route of a key source of revenue. In early January, the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal grounded all flights, blaming the halt on local youths who had blocked landing sites with flags. The association also said the protesters had warned pilots who landed that they would be forced to walk back on foot. On Tuesday, association official Pratap Jung Pandey told AFP that rescue flights were reopened Saturday "on humanitarian grounds". But commercial flights to the region were still suspended, as negotiations with locals for their resumption were ongoing.<br/>