Simara Airport (Nepali: सिमरा विमानस्थल) (IATA: SIF, ICAO: VNSI) is a domestic airport located in Jitpur Simara[1] serving Bara District, a district in Madhesh Province in Nepal. It also serves Birgunj, Nepal's fifth biggest city.
Simara Airport सिमरा विमानस्थल | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Nepal | ||||||||||
| Operator | Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal | ||||||||||
| Serves | Jitpur Simara and Birgunj, Nepal | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 450 ft / 137 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 27°09′34″N 084°58′48″E / 27.15944°N 84.98000°E | ||||||||||
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  Simara Airport Location of airport in Nepal | |||||||||||
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History
editThe airport was established on 4 July 1958, although there is evidence that the airport existed in some form as early as 1946 and would therefore be the oldest airport in Nepal — this fact is, however, disputed.[3] The airport is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.[2]
Facilities
editThe airport resides at an elevation of 450 feet (137 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway which is 1,192 metres (3,911 ft) in length.[1]
Airlines and destinations
edit| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Buddha Air | Kathmandu, Pokhara–International[4] |
| Nepal Airlines | Kathmandu[5] |
| Yeti Airlines | Kathmandu[6] |
Statistics
editGraphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Annual passenger traffic at SIF airport.
See Wikidata query.
Access
editThe airport is located near Tribhuvan Highway.
Accidents and incidents
edit- 7 May 1946 - A Royal Air Force Douglas C-47 Skytrain overran the runway upon touchdown at Simara Airport and was fully destroyed. There were no fatalities. This is considered to be the first aviation accident in the History of Nepal.[3]
- 30 August 1955 - A Kalinga Airlines Douglas Dakota lifted off prematurely at Simara Airport in order to avoid hitting someone crossing the runway. Two of the three crew members aboard were killed.[7]
- 25 December 1999 - A Skyline Airways De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 crashed 5 minutes after takeoff from Simara Airport on a flight to Kathmandu. All three crew and seven passengers were killed.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c Airport information for Simara, Nepal (VNSI / SIF) at Great Circle Mapper.
- ^ a b "Simara Airport" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ a b Arjyal, Hemant (15 July 2017). "Accident of Birth". República. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "Flight Routes". Buddha Air. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ "Domestic Schedule". Nepal Airlines. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ "Yeti Airlines scheduled to fly Simara after 12 years". Aviation Nepal. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ^ Did it come with a bang then? Nepal's early aviation history. [dead link]
- ^ "Aviation Safety Network Accident Description". Flight Safety Foundation. 25 December 1999. Retrieved 18 November 2006.