Simara Airport

Simara Airport

सिमरा विमानस्थल
Simara Airport; सिमरा विमानस्थल
	IATA: SIF; ICAO: VNSI;
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 / 27.15944; 84.98000
Map
	Simara Airport Location of airport in Nepal
Runways
	Sources:

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.

History

The 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

The 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

Airlines	Destinations
Buddha Air	Kathmandu, Pokhara–International^[4]
Nepal Airlines	Kathmandu^[5]
Yeti Airlines	Kathmandu^[6]

Statistics

Access

The airport is located near Tribhuvan Highway.

Accidents and incidents

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

^ 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.

External links

Accident history for SIF at Aviation Safety Network

[GCM-1] Airport information for Simara, Nepal (VNSI / SIF) at Great Circle Mapper.

[CAAN-2] "Simara Airport" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Retrieved 1 July 2020.

[HA2017-3] Arjyal, Hemant (15 July 2017). "Accident of Birth". República. Retrieved 1 November 2020.

[4] "Flight Routes". Buddha Air. Retrieved 1 May 2021.

[5] "Domestic Schedule". Nepal Airlines. Retrieved 15 October 2017.

[6] "Yeti Airlines scheduled to fly Simara after 12 years". Aviation Nepal. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.

[7] Did it come with a bang then? Nepal's early aviation history. ^{[dead link]}

[8] "Aviation Safety Network Accident Description". Flight Safety Foundation. 25 December 1999. Retrieved 18 November 2006.