Bharatpur Airport

Bharatpur Airport
भरतपुर विमानस्थल
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN)
Serves Bharatpur, Nepal
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL 600 ft / 183 m
Coordinates 27°40′41″N 84°25′46″E / 27.67806°N 84.42944°E / 27.67806; 84.42944Coordinates: 27°40′41″N 84°25′46″E / 27.67806°N 84.42944°E / 27.67806; 84.42944
Map
BHR
Location of airport in Nepal
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
15/33 1,158 3,799 Asphalt
Sources:[1][2]

Bharatpur Airport (Nepali: भरतपुर विमानस्थल) (IATA: BHR, ICAO: VNBP) is an airport serving Bharatpur,[2] a city in the Chitwan District in Province No. 3 in Nepal. The airport is located 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Bharatpur city center. It is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal and is served by all major domestic airlines of Nepal. Bharatpur Airport is the country's 4th busiest. It is the main tourist gateway to Chitwan National Park, and is growing fast in terms of aircraft and passenger traffic: the trend for five years shows a steady growth of aircraft and passenger movements. The data up to November 2005 shows a growth of 7.5% and 17.6% against figures in the year 2004.

History

This airport was built as part of the resettlement and malaria control program in the Chitwan valley, with the assistance of the Government of the United States of America. The airport was built in 1958 and the first passenger flight landed at the airport on 5 March 1965[3]. From 1981 to 1985, the airport was shut down due political instabilities in Southern Nepal.[4]

Facilities

The airport consists of one departure, one operation terminal and one arrival terminal shed, with some shops available around the airport. The airport can efficiently handle 3 ATR-42, 2 Jetstream J-41 and one beech 1900 or any other STOL aircraft.

The airport resides at an elevation of 600 feet (183 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway, which measures 1,158 by 30 metres (3,799 ft × 98 ft).[2]

Expansion

The airport was initially served by domestic flights with grass runway from Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu and Pokhara Airport in Pokhara by the country's national airline Nepal Airlines. After many years of lobbying by the local people and expatriates living abroad, limited expansion of the airport was carried out; a new terminal was built and the 1158-metre runway was paved to enable medium-sized aircraft used by Nepal Airlines and other similar aircraft to operate. The work was completed in October 2005.

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Buddha Air Kathmandu, Pokhara[5]
Yeti AirlinesKathmandu
Simrik Airlines Kathmandu[6]

Incidents and accidents

  • 12 July 1969 – A Royal Nepal Airlines flight operated on a Douglas DC-3D (9N-AAP) collided with a tree while flying over a cloud covered ridge at 7,300 feet at Hetauda, Nepal (70 km of Bharatpur Airport). All four crew and 31 passengers were killed.[7]
  • 31 July 1993 – An Everest Air flight operated on a Dornier 228-101, on a flight from Kathmandu to Bharatpur, struck a mountain at Bharatpur. All 3 crew and 16 passengers were killed.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bharatpur Airport". Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 Airport information for Bharatpur, Nepal (VNBP / BHR) at Great Circle Mapper.
  3. ↑ "Bharatpur Airport" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  4. ↑ "Barriers on the way of improvement of Bharatpur Airport". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Domestic Schedule". Buddha Air. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  6. ↑ "Flight Schedule". Simrik Airlines. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  7. ↑ "Accident description". ASN. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  8. ↑ Aviation Safety Network Retrieved 19 November 2006
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