Air NZ - CEO Message 29 April 2011

I’m now in Kathmandu as we start our journey to Everest Base Camp and we are just about to leave to fly to Lukla … a small town at an altitude of 9,500 feet and the start point for our trek.

Although it’s only a short 30 minute flight, it is supposed to be pretty dramatic as we fly from Kathmandu at 4,500 feet up into the mountains. I’m expecting the scenery to be amazing and the landing (on a very short runway) to be interesting. We’re flying in a little Dornier 228, so I don’t have high expectations for the in-flight entertainment, although as she has proven since we left New Zealand, domestic flight attendant Louise Swann is a good substitute for in-flight entertainment! Her rendition of Pokarekare Ana in the Long Bar at Raffles during our over-night stopover in Singapore certainly stole the show.

It is my first time to this part of the world and we arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday afternoon, a city like no other I have been to before. The population of four million people live in a valley shaped like a huge amphitheatre which was a lake in ancient times. First impressions are of the poverty (Nepal is one the 10 poorest nations in the world), the mass of people, the living conditions that in many cases look squalid to our eyes, the dirt and rubbish. Many of the main roads through the city are dirt roads or heavily pot-holed and its hard to tell whether the half complete buildings we see everywhere are in the process of being built or being pulled down. I was amazed to see the weight these women pictured below were carrying when their back-sacks were full of bricks and rubble. They were incredibly strong and determined but couldn’t resist huge smiles for my camera.


And then there is the wildlife intermingled with the people – on the short journey from the airport to the hotel we saw cows, oxen, pigs and monkeys amongst the people and on the roads.

Life looks fragile and tough for the thousands of people we see trying to eek out an existence on the roadside, in the shantytowns, and in the many tiny stores along the way. But despite the challenges and all these signs of poverty, when you look closely you see the kids running and laughing and playing and not hesitating to engage with us. You see adults passing the day deep in conversation with friends, bartering, trading, competing and playing various games and smiling. Don’t get me wrong, it’s clear that living day in and day out with this scale of poverty presents enormous challenges, but I also see this great example of the power of the human spirit to survive and thrive despite adversity. It’s easy to see why people whose spirit and character has been shaped in these settings thrive when they emigrate to countries like ours, where we take so much for granted.

Yesterday, we gathered the last of our provisions and supplies for our trek and soaked up the sites of the city. The diversity was completely intoxicating. While the photos give you some feeling for the experience, they are incomplete without the accompanying sounds and smells; the horns are going incessantly on everything from taxis, to lorries, cars, rickshaws and pushbikes. Communicating with horns is an art form and given the mixture of vehicles, pedestrians and livestock in the streets it ensures surprisingly few accidents!! The smells are extreme from the fragrant spice traders, to the rubbish, the vehicles, the livestock and the mass of people …. at 29 degrees Celsius and baking sun, let’s just say its fragrant!!


Last night was spent arranging and packing all our gear ready for a 5.15 pick-up this morning for our flight to Lukla. Now the main adventure begins. There is a sense of nervous excitement amongst the team. Everyone is in great shape, has done heaps of training but unsure how they will be affected by the altitude, low temperatures and basic conditions over the next 12-14 days.

My team back in New Zealand is doing a great job keeping on top of all my emails and other tasks to allow me to focus fully on this adventure. I feel very lucky that they have given me this opportunity. Hopefully next week I will be able to update you as we approach close to Base Camp – assuming I can download an email…

Rob Fyfe
CEO - Air New Zealand