Sherpas on Mount Everest are fearing for their jobs after plans were announced to use Chinese drones to ferry equipment up and down the world’s tallest mountain.

Perilous tasks that used to take hours by foot will now be completed in a matter of minutes, as drones capable of carrying up to 15kg look set to transform the climbing experience.

The unmanned aircraft will be used to carry oxygen cylinders up the mountain, retrieve ladders from climbing routes, and remove waste left behind by mountaineers. They will also be used to deliver hot food. It is hoped that they will take away some of the risk faced by Sherpas, by cutting out otherwise menial tasks.

Politicians, trade unions and Sherpas, however, have hit out at the “idiotic” programme, which they say will take work away from the climbing support teams.

“The introduction of drones could take away the livelihoods of thousands of Sherpas,” Ajay Kumar Rai, general secretary of the Nepal Trade Union Congress, told The Telegraph. “For six months, they risk their lives on Everest, and for the rest of the year, they have no work. If drones start replacing them, what will they do?”