Published May 6, 2026 01:43PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
On Friday, May 1, a helicopter landed on the Seven Summit Treks helipad at Mount Everest Base Camp carrying dignitaries from the United States. Sergio Gor, the U.S. Ambassador to India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs, stooped beneath the whirring blades and stepped into the thin air at 17,500 feet.<\/p>\n
Gor, 39, had come to Base Camp to promote American drone technology in the extreme environment of Mount Everest. The U.S. Embassy has partnered with a Nepali drone company called Airlift Technology to fly an American-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)\u2014<\/strong>part of the Trump Administration\u2019s \u201cTrade Not Aid\u201d policy, implemented after the shuttering of USAID and other foreign aid programs. The drone flight was described by the embassy\u2019s public relations office as \u201cenabling deliveries on Mount Everest in a few minutes, in contrast to multiple-day treks in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n Alas, the UAV demonstration was abruptly grounded before the craft ever got off the ground. Just a few hours before Gor arrived, Nepal\u2019s Home Ministry ordered Airlift Technology to scrap the flight, citing \u201csecurity sensitivity issues,\u201d according to a statement.<\/p>\n Perhaps more damaging, Nepal revoked Airlift Technologies\u2019 clearance to fly its cargo carrying aircraft on Mount Everest.<\/p>\n Outside<\/em> made multiple attempts to contact Nepal\u2019s Department of Tourism and Home Ministry for comment about the forced cancellation. We did not get a response by the time we published this story.<\/p>\n Officials from Airlift Technology were left at Base Camp scratching their heads.<\/p>\n \u201cI really don\u2019t know what happened,\u201d Milan Pandy, director of Airlift technology, told Outside<\/em> at Base Camp. \u201cI\u2019m still trying to figure it out. It\u2019s all rumors. The strangest part is that the decision was made so late at night.\u201d<\/p>\n Grounding the UAVs brought a valuable part of Mount Everest\u2019s guiding industry to a screeching halt. It was just the latest wrinkle in the strange story of aerial drones on Mount Everest.<\/p>\n Flying drones became a frequent sight in Base Camp over the past decade, as the fast-evolving technology rapidly produced UAV aircraft that could snap aerial images and provide video of tough-to-reach places. In 2022, Chinese photography company 8KRAW completed the first successful drone flight over the peak\u2019s summit, capturing stunning video of the snow-capped top.<\/p>\n But as drones got bigger and more powerful, operators have seen\u00a0their potential for ferrying loads to higher points on the peak. In April of 2024, Airlift Technology performed the first test flights of a drone designed to carry heavy cargo. The DJI FlyCart 30, which can carry up to a 33-pound payload at lower elevations, successfully completed three flights between Base Camp at 17,500 feet and Camp I at 19,900 feet. The drone took an oxygen canister up to Camp I,\u00a0and then brought a bag of trash back to Base Camp.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ability to safely transport equipment, supplies, and waste by drone has the potential to revolutionize Everest mountaineering logistics, facilitate trash cleanup efforts, and improve safety for all involved,\u201d Christina Zhang of DJI said in a statement after the flight.<\/p>\n Indeed, proponents of the technology argued that cargo drones could eliminate the number of human trips through the Khumbu Icefall, the deadliest section of the Everest climb.<\/p>\nLimiting Dangers to Mountain Workers<\/h2>\n