Simikot Airport | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Owner | Government of Nepal | ||||||||||
Operator | Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal | ||||||||||
Serves | Simikot, Nepal | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 9,246 ft / 2,818 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 29°58′16″N081°49′08″E / 29.97111°N 81.81889°E Coordinates: 29°58′16″N081°49′08″E / 29.97111°N 81.81889°E | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Simikot Airport( IATA : IMK, ICAO : VNST) is a domestic airport located in Simikot [1] serving Humla District, a district in Karnali Province in Nepal. It is the main tourist gateway on the Nepalese side to the Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. [3] As road access in this area of Nepal is weak, the airport facilitates travel in the whole district of Humla. [2]
The airport resides at an elevation of 9,246 ft (2,818 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway which is 549 m (1,801 ft) in length. [1] The runway has recently been improved and extended with more infrastructure being built.
As a result of this construction the parking facilities and terminals also have seen some improvement. Pilgrims and Trekkers bound for Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash in China's Tibet Autonomous Region fly into Simikot and proceed to the international border at Hilsa on foot [4] or by helicopter. [5]
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Nepal Airlines | Nepalgunj [6] |
Sita Air | Nepalgunj [7] |
Summit Air | Birendranagar, Nepalgunj [8] |
Tara Air | Nepalgunj [9] |
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Humla District, a part of Karnali Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Simikot as its district headquarters, covers an area of 5,655 km2 (2,183 sq mi) and has population of 50,858 as per the census of 2011. Namkha is the largest rural municipal which lies in humla Humla is the 2nd largest district of Nepal. The Southern part and middle of Humla District is inhabited by Khas people, originating from Sinja valley, whereas the North border is mostly inhabited by Tibetans. Northern part of this district is administered by China since border skirmishes with India in 2020.
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