Every single plane that flies from China, Japan, Australia, India and most Asian countries to the USA, Canada, Mexico or anywhere in South America flies over the Pacific. All of them. It’s the shortest route.
And planes fly over the Himalayas all the time, some of them close to Mt Everest, like this one
There’s just no commercial flight path that goes directly over it. You can charter a tourist flight though if you want.
This question is all over the internet with hifalutin explanations about why. Apparently, nobody bothered to check to see if it’s even a valid question. Here is a screenshot of flightradar24 taken at 18:54, 27 August 2021 UTC, just a random time I decided to take it.
A screenshot from flightradar24 taken at 18:54, 27 August 2021 UTC.
There are about 150 planes over the Pacific Ocean, and there is a plane almost smack dab over Mt. Everest.
So, why do the planes flying between North America and Asia take the long way around to the north? They don’t. Take a globe and stretch a string between New York City and Tokyo. That string will be the shortest route between those cities. Look where it goes.
The shortest route between New York and Tokyo.
It goes over northern Canada, clips northern Alaska, and down Kamchatka and the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. They’re not avoiding the Pacific Ocean. They are taking the most direct route. Do the same thing between San Francisco and Tokyo.
The shortest route between San Francisco and Tokyo.
You still skirt the Pacific Ocean to the north. However, if you are going to Hawaii, you go straight across.
As for Mount Everest, airliners cruise between about 33,000 feet and 42,000 feet above sea level. This is well above Mount Everest at about 29,000 feet.
Airliners may routinely avoid flying directly over the Himalayas because there may be significant turbulence, not to mention frequent storms. However, if the weather and local politics are favorable, they will go right over.
