Palungtar Airport

Palungtar Airport (IATA: GKH, ICAO: VNGK) also known as Gorkha Airport, was an airport serving the municipalities Palungtar and Gorkha of Gorkha District in the Southern region of Gandaki Province of Nepal.

Palungtar Airport
IATA: GKH ICAO: VNGK
Summary
Airport type	Public
Serves	Palungtar and Gorkha, Nepal
Elevation AMSL	1,467 ft / 447 m
Coordinates	28°02′20″N 84°27′57″E
Map
GKH Location of airport in Nepal
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 02/20 1,067 3,501 Grass/Clay
Source:[1][2]

History

The airport was originally opened in October 1960.^[2] It is currently out of operation, for which the District of Gorkha has no active airport as of 2018. It used to serve as a main tourist gateway to the former royal city of Gorkha and its palaces, but lost importance after the area received road connectivity, namely Prithivi Highway.^[3] Despite being out of operation, the airport served as a major landing site for helicopters distributing relief material after the Gorkha earthquake in 2015.^[3]

Facilities

The airport resides at an elevation of 1,467 feet (447 m) above mean sea level. It had one grass/clay runway which is 1,067 metres (3,501 ft) in length.^[2]

Former airlines and destinations

Until 1979, Nepal Airlines operated several routes from the airport.^[4]