Latest news with #AirliftTechnology
GMA Network
6 days ago
- GMA Network
Drones tackle Everest's trash crisis, hauling gear up and garbage down
It's often called the 'world's highest garbage dump.' Some estimate 50 metric tons of trash remain on Mount Everest due to decades of climbing and lax regulations. But these unmanned aerial vehicles are being utilized to try to clean up one of the world's most remote locations. Nepal-based Airlift Technology is addressing this crisis by deploying drones to deliver supplies up the mountain and then remove waste on the way down. After successful trials in 2024, the company estimates it removed over one metric ton of trash between March and May 2025. "The main intention, of course, was like bringing the garbage because tons and tons of garbage are on Mount Everest, which means, like, this was our main motive to have a drone delivery in Mount Everest," Milan Pandey, Airlift Technology co-founder, said. The drones, made by a Chinese manufacturer, are capable of quickly transporting up to 33 pounds of critical supplies, including oxygen bottles, ladders, and ropes. ''Because the interesting thing is, from Base Camp to Camp One, it takes 7 to 9 hours for climbers to reach. And our drone can reach over there within 3 minutes." That helps sherpas climb difficult sections of the mountain, such as the Khumbu Icefall, a perilous passage riddled with crevasses and icefall, without carrying large amounts of equipment. It's a welcome innovation for Nepalese mountaineer Nima Rinji Sherpa. ''I think this is very interesting and very good in a way, because it is humanly impossible to bring all the trash down by cutting through the Khumbu Icefall to the South Col. So I think, yes, right now we're using these drones by Airlift Technology, which is very innovative in a way that it also saves people's lives and it makes it easier for everyone to bring down the trash,'' he said. While other Everest cleanup operations are ongoing, Airlift Technology hopes drones will provide a new tool in efforts to tackle the mountain's trash scourge. — Reuters
Barnama
7 days ago
- Barnama
Nepalese Start-Up Deploys Drones To Remove Rubbish From Mount Everest
ISTANBUL, June 26 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- A Nepalese start-up has begun deploying drones to remove rubbish from Mount Everest, Anadolu Ajansi reported. A drone successfully completed a delivery test at an altitude of over 6,000 metres (19,685 feet) while carrying a 15-kilogramme (33-pound) payload, according to Airlift Technology's website. "The maximum payload tested at Everest Base Camp was 32 kilogrammes (70.5 pounds)," the company said, adding the delivery of rubbish from Camp 1 to the base camp was also "tested and found to be successful." bootstrap slideshow The project is being conducted with the cooperation of the Khumbu Pasang Lamhu Rural Municipality, where Mount Everest is located, and China-based DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer. Everest Base Camp and Camp 1 are separated by the Khumbu Icefall, "one of the most perilous stages of the ascent," DJI said in a statement, adding that "while helicopters can theoretically make the same journey, they are rarely used due to the significant dangers and costs." The Chinese company also said that each climber is estimated to leave 8 kilogrammes (17.6 pounds) of rubbish behind on Everest. The agreement that the Cimex BYD Charity Foundation (CBCF) and Airlift Technology have signed foresees the clean-up of more than 1,000 kilogrammes (2,204 pounds) of waste this season. The Nepalese government has been launching initiatives every year since 2019 to clean the mountain. By 2024, Nepal's efforts to clean Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks resulted in the collection of 119 tonnes of waste and the recovery of 14 human bodies and several skeletons.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Yahoo
Drones tackle Everest's trash crisis, hauling gear up and garbage down
STORY: It's often called the 'world's highest garbage dump.' :: Mount Everest, Nepal Some estimate 50 metric tonnes of trash remain on the Mt Everest due to decades of climbing and lax regulations. :: Airlift Technology But these unmanned aerial vehicles are being utilized to try clean up one of the world's most remote locations. :: This Earth :: Everest Base Camp, Nepal Nepal-based Airlift Technology is addressing this crisis by deploying drones to deliver both supplies up the mountain, and then remove waste on the way down. After successful trials in 2024, the company estimates it removed over one metric tonne of trash between March and May 2025. Here's co-founder Milan Pandey. :: Milan Pandey, Airlift Technology Co-Founder "...the main intention, of course, was like bringing the garbage because tonnes and tonnes of garbage are on Mount Everest (WHITE FLASH) which means, like this was our main motive to to have a drone delivery in Mount Everest." :: Airlift Technology The drones, made by a Chinese manufacturer, are capable of quickly transporting up to 33 lbs of critical supplies, including oxygen bottles, ladders and ropes. ''Because the interesting thing is, so from Base Camp camp to Camp One, it takes 7 to 9 hours for climbers to reach. And our drone can reach over there within 3 minutes." That helps sherpa's climb difficult sections of the mountain, such as the Khumbu Icefall, a perilous passage riddled with crevasses and icefall, without carrying large amounts of equipment. :: Airlift Technology It's a welcome innovation for Nepalese mountaineer Nima Rinji Sherpa. :: Nima Rinji Sherpa, Mountaineer ''I think this is very interesting and very good in a way, because it is humanly impossible to bring all the trash down by cutting through the Khumbu Icefall to the South Col. So I think, yes, right now we're using these drones by Airlift Technology which is very innovative in a way that it also saves people's life and it makes everyone easier to bring down the trash." While other Everest clean-up operations are on-going, Airlift Technology hopes drones will provide a new tool in efforts to tackle the mountain's trash scourge.
Korea Herald
20-06-2025
- Science
- Korea Herald
Drones are now saving lives in Everest death zone
KATHMANDU, Nepal (Kathmandu Post/ANN) -- In March, a chilling incident unfolded in the frigid heights of the Everest region. Three Chinese trekkers -- a father and his two daughters -- lost their way in the Dingboche area. With only two porters and no guide, they had pushed on to Cho La pass, a treacherous trail perched 5,368 meters above sea level. By nightfall, the trekkers were missing, and their disappearance sparked panic in the region. At 10 p.m., their hotel launched a desperate search-and-rescue mission. Six guides were dispatched to scour the area, but after three grueling hours in the harsh mountain terrain, they found nothing. Fear gripped the hotel area, where the Chinese were residing. Then a stroke of technological luck intervened. Airlift Technology, a local drone-mapping startup, had team members staying in a nearby hotel. Without hesitation, they deployed a drone borrowed from a foreigner. Within an hour it had located the stranded trekkers. The rescue team moved swiftly. Lives were saved -- not by chance, but by the eyes in the sky. According to Airlift Technology, this was just a glimpse of what drones can do in Nepal's high mountains. If equipped with thermal detection, drones can pinpoint the location of missing climbers -- if they are still alive. With 3D mapping capabilities, drones can remotely scan the icy landscapes of places like the Khumbu Icefall, measuring the length and depth of crevasses. Climbers and guides can assess the mountain's dangers and be warned of potential avalanches or collapsing ice slabs. That warning came just in time for one expedition in April. Months ago, while preparing the route on Mount Pumori -- standing at 7,161 meters, just 8 kilometers from Everest -- Airlift's drone spotted a hanging serac, a huge block of unstable ice. The expedition was called off. Climbers and guides likely escaped death that day. Such interventions, however, cannot always prevent tragedy. On April 7, 2025, around noon, a massive avalanche thundered above Camp II (5,600 meters) of Annapurna, the world's 10th highest mountain. A team of sherpas from Seven Summit Treks were carrying bottled oxygen for their clients' summit push. The avalanche caught Ngima Tashi and Rima Rinje. Another Sherpa, Pemba Thenduk, was swept along but miraculously survived. Despite days of relentless searching, there was no trace of Ngima and Rima. On April 11, Seven Summit Treks wrote in a heartbreaking Facebook post, "It is no longer possible for anyone to survive this long under the mass of snow and ice. Prolonging search efforts would risk more lives. With a heavy heart, we have decided to suspend the search and bid farewell." The mountain had claimed two more of its finest. But would drones one day change this cruel pattern? "If drones can be used to deliver oxygen and supplies, we can reduce the number of risky trips sherpas must undertake," said Milan Pandey, co-founder of Airlift Technology. The sherpas -- Nepal's high-altitude trailblazers -- have long been the silent heroes of Himalayan expeditions. They guide climbers, ferry supplies, and prepare routes, often putting their lives on the line. The dangers they face are relentless. Three sherpas were killed by an avalanche in the Khumbu Icefall alone last year. This treacherous stretch -- an ever-shifting river of ice just below Everest Base Camp -- is so dangerous that most climbers attempt it only between 3 and 5 am, when the ice is most stable. As the sun rises, melting ice becomes unstable, and avalanches are frequent. On April 18, 2014, a falling serac buried 16 sherpa guides in the Icefall, ending that year's climbing season. The Himalayan Database records 48 deaths on the Icefall between 1953 and 2024. Now, the mountain may finally have a new kind of helper. "After our successful operations on Everest, we're piloting drones on Annapurna this September," said Pandey. "We flew drones up to 6,500 meters this spring, carrying over 30 kilograms of supplies in minus 25 degrees Celsius and winds of 45 kph." Where sherpas take 6-7 hours to climb carrying 12 kilograms of gear, drones do the same in 10 minutes. This spring alone, Airlift mobilized two heavy-lifter drones that transported 2.5 tonnes of supplies -- including 300 kilograms of garbage -- in and out of the Khumbu Icefall. The drone reached a record 6,130 meters, the highest documented drone delivery. Before Everest, the highest known drone ascent was 5,000 meters near Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, India. This spring, almost all the ladders and ropes used to prepare Everest's route were flown by drones up to Camp I. The Icefall Doctors, a group of specialist sherpas mobilised by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), usually carry over 20 ladders and hundreds of kilograms of ropes by hand. This year, drones lifted 444 kilograms of such equipment. "It was super fast," Pandey said. "This year, the drones supplied 900 kilograms of equipment for the 8K Expedition up to Camp I. They also delivered 150 oxygen cylinders for Asian Trekking, six at a time -- each weighing four liters." The DJI drone weighs 96 kilograms and has a payload capacity of 32 kilograms. The results were impressive. For instance, when the Icefall Doctors discovered a crevasse longer than expected, they needed extra ladders. Instead of climbing down to Base Camp and back -- a day's delay and a risky journey -- a drone delivered four ladders in just two minutes. The sherpas finished the section within an hour. Traditionally, sherpas travel from Base Camp to Camp I and back in 10 hours, including 6 hours of climbing. With drones, the task now takes 10 minutes, including loading. There were challenges. In one instance, a drone was forced into an emergency landing when winds hit 66 kph. "Drones can fail," Pandey admitted, "but people won't die. We're planning a full-fledged drone operation next spring." They don't come cheap though. The price of a DJI drone is $70,000 with taxes. Pemba Sherpa, executive director of 8K Expeditions, the company entrusted to prepare routes from Camp II to the Everest summit this spring, said, "There is no doubt that drones are a life-saving initiative. The human risk is zero." "When sherpas don't have to carry loads, their performance improves." "Besides, though the commercial aspect of the drone is yet to be properly assessed, preliminary reports suggest it is over 10 times cheaper to transport goods through drones than through choppers," he said. Operators say the average travel time for rope-fixing sherpas from Base Camp to Camp I was cut by 90 minutes this year. Airlift used Chinese drones this spring but plans to test a European drone on Mt. Manaslu -- Nepal's eighth-highest peak -- this September. Standing at 8,163 meters, Manaslu is another formidable testing ground. "We'll begin the survey next month," said Pandey. "After the test, we'll know its carrying capacity and full potential." Could drones one day bring supplies down to Lukla, Everest's gateway airport? "Technically, yes," Pandey said. "But our focus is on emergency support and garbage removal. We don't want to displace porters' jobs." That's a valid concern. Hundreds of locals depend on Everest for income. Porters form the backbone of Nepal's trekking industry. SPCC collected more than 83 tonnes of garbage from Everest this spring alone. That included 25,056 kilograms of paper, plastic, and clothing; 8,374 kilograms of metal and glass; 17,861 kilograms of kitchen waste; and a staggering 31,797 kilograms of human waste. Also retrieved: 788 used gas canisters and 1,802 spent batteries. The mountains are magnificent -- but they are unforgiving. Technology may never fully tame them. But this spring, Nepal took a small yet bold step toward a safer future in the death zone, where once only courage treaded -- and now, drones fly.
Express Tribune
22-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Drones take flight on Everest, rewriting the future of high-altitude climbing
Listen to article At the top of the world amid pristine white glaciers and towering rock, silence reigns — until it is broken by a ladder falling from the sky. Pandey, who works with Nepal-based tech firm Airlift Technology, uses drones to transport life-saving gear such as ladders, ropes, and oxygen cylinders to Sherpas stationed between Base Camp and Camp One. The Khumbu Icefall, a constantly shifting glacier, has claimed dozens of Sherpa lives over the decades. Base Camp sits at 5,364 metres, while Camp One lies at 6,065 metres. Though the aerial distance between the two points is only 2.9 km (1.8 miles), it takes Sherpas six to seven hours to complete the journey — drones do it in less than seven minutes. 'This can be a game-changer,' Pandey told reporters, highlighting how their technology aims to support — not replace — the Sherpas' skill and courage. Pandey and his team envision a partnership where cutting-edge aerial logistics work hand-in-hand with generations of mountaineering knowledge . It is a fusion of tradition and technology. Mingma G Sherpa, founder of the expedition company Imagine Nepal, which has led climbers for nearly ten years, saw the urgent need for drone support after a tragic avalanche in 2023 claimed the lives of three of his friends and fellow mountain guides. Their bodies were never retrieved. 'They were forced to climb up and down the mountain as many as twenty times — first to find the route and then again to carry the gear. I'd heard drones were being used for similar purposes on a mountain in China, and I thought, 'Why not here?'' he recalled. At the same time, Raj Bikram, CEO of Airlift Nepal, was working with local authorities in Khumbu on a drone-based 3D-mapping project of Mount Everest. During discussions, the region's mayor inquired about the drones' lifting capabilities. By April 2024, with two drones donated by DJI in China and in coordination with the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, Airlift began its first trials. 'In the beginning, we weren't sure how the drones would handle Everest's altitude and cold — it was our first time operating at Base Camp,' said Raj Bikram, CEO of Airlift Nepal. Harsh wind conditions and low visibility posed major challenges, and the team spent a month familiarising themselves with the rugged terrain. Airlift Nepal's initial clean-up mission successfully removed around 1,100 pounds (500 kg) of waste from Camp One to Base Camp using drones. The process required over 40 individual flights. Although each drone is capable of lifting up to 66 pounds, the team chose to transport only 44 pounds per trip to ensure stability and safety. For the 2025 climbing season, Airlift Technology plans to assist Sherpas by ferrying gear to higher camps ahead of time, then switching focus to waste retrieval once climbers begin their ascent. Sherpas collaborate closely with Milan Pandey, Airlift's drone operator. They guide the drone team on which direction to scout. Pandey first sends a small drone ahead to map out the safest route. The Sherpas then ascend the icy, treacherous sections of the mountain as they always have. 'Once they see where a ladder or rope is needed, they radio us the coordinates,' Pandey said. 'We then fly in the gear.' The drones are also used to deliver critical supplies like oxygen tanks and medicines — cargo that can make the difference between life and death in extreme altitudes. As Airlift Nepal's drones take to the skies over the Himalayas, their growing role in climbing and conservation on Mount Everest is undeniable. This year, Airlift is operating just one of its two DJI drones on Everest, with the second kept in reserve. But expanding the operation would require significant financial backing — each drone carries a hefty price tag of $70,000, excluding operational costs. 'Everything is expensive at Base Camp,' said Airlift Nepal CEO Raj Bikram. 'With no electricity, we rely on fuel to charge batteries. Add to that the cost of getting here, hiring skilled manpower, accommodation, food — it all adds up.' An aeronautical engineer by training, Bikram has long been drawn to drone innovation. Over ten years ago, he built one of Nepal's first DIY drones — a skillset that proved invaluable during the 2015 earthquake when drones helped guide emergency aid. But the team's goals go beyond cargo drops. 'Search and rescue is one of our main priorities,' said Milan Pandey, Airlift's lead drone operator. 'When someone goes off trail, we can help locate them quickly using drones.' 'We want to make this profession safer,' Pandey said. 'This mountain is part of our identity. Without the Sherpas' deep knowledge, no one could navigate Everest — and we don't want to lose that.' Dawa Janzu Sherpa, 28, knows Everest like few others. For eight years, he has served as a 'frontman' with the elite group of icefall doctors — Sherpas tasked with opening and maintaining the perilous path up the Khumbu Icefall. Led by an experienced elder who plots the route, it's the frontman who ventures first into the ice, relying on strength and nerve. 'This season there's a lot of dry ice, which makes it hard to fix trails. Plus, there are ice towers everywhere,' Janzu said. While drones now offer preliminary guidance, the ever-changing weather on the mountain means nothing is guaranteed. Sherpas like Janzu face a race against time — the trail must be secured before expeditions begin. 'If we don't fix the trails quickly, the climbers get delayed,' he explained. 'The drones bring up ladders and ropes, so we don't have to keep going back down. That's saving us time — and lives.'
