KATHMANDU: Chinese extreme sports athlete Han Xiao aims to make history this season by paragliding from the summit of Mount Everest—but his ambitious plan has sparked unease among Chinese authorities.

The Chinese adventurer, known for merging high-altitude climbing with aerial sports, has received the first-ever official permit from Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to launch from the world’s highest peak at 8,848.86 meters.

However, because the Everest summit lies exactly on the border between Nepal and China, Beijing has raised serious concerns. “As the summit is shared equally between the two countries, Chinese authorities have already expressed their serious concerns over Han’s planned bid,” a senior Nepali ministry official said.

In 2011, Sano Babu Sunuwar and Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa famously paraglided from the summit without government permission. In recent years, athletes have only been legally allowed to jump from the South Col, just below the true summit.

Han’s permit was secured by Elite Exped, a UK-based outfitter co-run by renowned climbers ex British soldier Nirmal Purja ‘Nims Dai’ and Mingma David Sherpa. Ministry officials say Sherpa, who is also a member of parliament from the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party, lobbied Tourism Minister Khadak Raj Poudel to help obtain the permit.

“Chinese concerns are genuine, given the sensitivity of the summit sitting exactly on the border between Nepal and Tibet,” officials added.

Nepali outfitters, however, are celebrating the decision. “With Han getting the permit, the door is now open for all adventure sports enthusiasts,” they commented. Sano Babu Sunuwar, Managing Director of Babu Adventure Paragliding, is supporting Han’s attempt. “Han is all set to glide off from the top once weather allows,” he said.

Organizers confirm the flight has been authorized by Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, the Department of Tourism, and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal issued the formal flight permit on May 8, covering the period May 10 to May 25 between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM daily. The permitted take-off point is the Everest summit and the designated landing point is Syangboche Airport. 

The flight ceiling is set at 29,000 feet AMSL. 

Two paragliding pilots are named on the permit: Sano Babu Sunuwar, who holds CAAN licence No. 003/2015, and Han Xiao as the foreign pilot.

The permit was granted following coordination with local administration and clearance from the Regional Aviation Operations Centre, and requires a standby helicopter with rescue equipment throughout the programme.

(Note: An earlier version of this story mistakenly named Jing Zhang as the paraglider, based on information from the organisers. The correct name is Han Xiao. We regret the error.)