Flights to Dhangadhi: Kathmandu schedules, flight time and airport facts

Dhangadhi Airport serves Kailali District¹. Two airlines fly the Kathmandu route, and the schedule figures for it do not agree. This page sets out each figure with its source and date, then covers the airport and the onward flights it feeds. For other ways in, see the getting there hub.

Is there a flight from Kathmandu to Dhangadhi today?

Buddha Air operates 3 daily flights from Kathmandu to Dhangadhi, seen on 20 October 2026⁵. The flights use Tribhuvan International Airport and Dhangadhi Airport⁵. Google Flights, seen 20 October 2026, lists direct flights on the route every day, and lists Shree Airlines flying from Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) to Dhangadhi Airport (DHI)⁷.

The figures conflict. Google Flights lists Shree Airlines with 28 nonstop flights a week, and Buddha Air with 14⁷. Buddha Air’s own page gives 3 a day, which is 21 a week⁵. Google Flights calls Shree Airlines the most popular nonstop carrier on the route⁷.

Flight time

Buddha Air lists the Kathmandu to Dhangadhi flight duration as 1 hour 10 minutes, and the same duration for Dhangadhi to Kathmandu^5,6. Buddha Air operates 3 flights daily on the return leg, seen on 20 October 2026⁶. Google Flights shows the duration of nonstop flights, or the fewest-stop option where none is nonstop⁷.

Ticket prices

Google Flights prices include required taxes and fees for one adult⁷. Its typical prices rest on fares observed over the past year for one-week round trips⁷. Neither Buddha Air route page lists a fare^5,6.

The one fare on record is for the hill flights that start at Dhangadhi. In October 2021, The Himalayan Times gave the Dhangadhi to Doti fare as Rs 2,615 per person and the Dhangadhi to Bajhang fare as Rs 3,995⁸. Those are 2021 figures for Nepal Airlines’ feeder routes, not for Kathmandu flights⁸.

Dhangadhi Airport facts

Dhangadhi Airport is a domestic airport serving Kailali District, with one asphalted runway of 1,800 metres¹. It was established on 6 July 1958¹. It was traditionally a daylight-only airport, and recent upgrades added runway edge lighting¹.

Two Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal publications differ on distance, and both differ from Wikipedia on elevation. The 30 April 2021 e-AIP places the airport 12 km north of Dhangadhi city and gives its elevation as 189 m². The 30 April 2025 e-AIP places it 8 km north of the city and also gives 189 m³. Wikipedia gives an elevation of 210 metres¹.

Any change to the airport’s arrangements is notified by NOTAM³.

Onward flights and nearby parks

Dhangadhi Airport also serves as a regional airport for Sudurpashchim Province and for Rara Airport in Mugu district¹. In 2022 Nepal Airlines relaunched regional operations at Dhangadhi, making it the airline’s western-most hub¹. In October 2021, The Himalayan Times named Dhangadhi as the base point for Nepal Airlines’ far-west hill flights, added because rains had obstructed roads⁸.

Buddha Air lists Khaptad National Park and Shuklaphanta National Park among Dhangadhi’s attractions⁵ and calls the town the gateway to the Api Base Camp trek in Darchula⁶. Some commercial airlines run helicopter services from Dhangadhi Airport to Khaptad National Park¹.

Park entry fees, per person per entry, as listed by the Nepal Tourism Board in October 2026⁴:

For the district behind the airport, read Kailali. The gateway on the central side is Nepalgunj, and the overland alternative is Kathmandu to the far west by road.