Meghauli Airport

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]

Meghauli Airport
IATA: MEY ICAO: VNMG
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Government of Nepal
Operator	Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal
Serves	Bharatpur, Nepal Chitwan National Park
Elevation AMSL	600 ft / 183 m
Coordinates	27°34′38″N 84°13′44″E
Map
Meghauli Airport Location of airport in Nepal
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 08/26 1,085 3,560 Grass
Source:[1][2]

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]