Meghauli Airport

Meghauli Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGovernment of Nepal
OperatorCivil Aviation Authority of Nepal
ServesBharatpur, Nepal
Chitwan National Park
Elevation AMSL600 ft / 183 m
Coordinates27°34′38″N 84°13′44″E / 27.57722°N 84.22889°E / 27.57722; 84.22889
Map
Meghauli Airport is located in Nepal
Meghauli Airport
Meghauli Airport
Location of airport in Nepal
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 1,085 3,560 Grass
Source:[1][2]

Meghauli Airport (IATA: MEY, ICAO: VNMG) is a domestic airport located in Meghauli,[1] Bharatpur serving Chitwan National Park in Bagmati Province in Nepal. The airport is the older of two airports in Bharatpur, the other one being Bharatpur Airport.[3]

History

The airfield was built in 1961, when Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited Chitwan.[4] In 1982, the first Elephant polo world cup was played on the airfield.[5] After being closed for several years, the airport reopened in 2016 for charter operations and from 2017 to 2020, Nepal Airlines carried out scheduled operations again.[6][7] In 2024, upgradation works started turning the grass runway into an asphalt one.[8]

Facilities

The airport resides at an elevation of 600 feet (183 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway which is 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) in length.[1]

Airlines and destinations

As of 2022, there are no scheduled services to and from Meghauli Airport.[3] Previously Nepal Airlines operated routes to Kathmandu.[9]

Incidents and accidents

  • On 25 April 1996, a Royal Nepal Airlines BAe 748 Series 2B overran the runway at Meghauli Airport, after a flight from Kathmandu, when landing in rain on the grass airstrip. The aircraft ran across some ditches, causing the nose gear to collapse. None of the four crew and 27 passengers were injured.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c Airport information for Meghauli, Nepal (VNMG / MEY) at Great Circle Mapper.
  2. ^ "Meghauli Airport" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  3. ^ a b Kandel, Surya Prakash (11 March 2020). "Locals take initiative to reopen Meghauli Airport". República. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Meghauli Airport resumes operation". The Kathmandu Post. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  5. ^ Prasain, Sangam; Poudel, Nabin (3 December 2017). "Responsible Tourism: Curtain comes down on elephant polo after 35 years". The Kathmandu Post. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  6. ^ Anurup, Pathak (9 November 2016). "Flight operation resumes in Meghauli Airport after 5 years". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  7. ^ "NAC to fly 3 times weekly to Meghauli". The Kathmandu Post. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Runway of Meghauli Airport to be upgraded". República. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  9. ^ Shrestha, Biju (23 November 2017). "NAC to commence Regular Flights to Meghauli and Taplejung from Nov 29". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  10. ^ "Accident description". ASN. Retrieved 16 December 2017.