Flights to Simikot: Nepalgunj and Surkhet schedules for Humla

Humla has weak road access, so the airport at Simikot carries travel for the whole district². It is also the main tourist gateway on the Nepalese side to Mount Kailash². Below are the airlines’ published flights with their dates, the airport’s basic facts and the walk on to the border. The district itself is on the Humla page, and the lowland hub is Nepalgunj; other routes are in the getting-there hub.

Nepal Airlines timetable, October 2026

Nepal Airlines’ domestic summer schedule was effective from 1 to 31 October 2026 and was based on two DHC-6 aircraft¹. The page notes that it is subject to change without prior notice¹. For Simikot it listed these flights:

Other operators

Tara Air lists Simikot among the destinations it serves with scheduled and charter flights⁴. Summit Air describes Simikot Airport as the gateway to Mount Kailash, serving Humla district at an elevation of 9,246 ft³. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal lists Simikot Airport in Humla, Karnali Province, among the domestic airports⁵; its page for the domestic summer schedule 2026 names seven airlines: Buddha Air, Nepal Airlines Corporation, Shree Airlines, Sita Air, Summit Air, Tara Air and Yeti Airlines⁶.

On fares, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal posted a press release on domestic air fares dated 8 October 2026⁷.

Nepal Airlines, Sita Air, Tara Air and Summit Air all appear with Simikot among their Nepalgunj destinations⁹. Nepalgunj Airport has the second greatest number of aircraft and passenger movements of all domestic airports⁹.

Simikot Airport

Simikot Airport (IATA IMK, ICAO VNST) is a domestic airport serving Humla District². It resides at 9,246 ft (2,818 m) above mean sea level². The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal’s list of domestic airports in operation includes Simikot Airport¹².

An air accident is on record: on 23 June 2011 a Tara Air Dornier 228, operating a cargo flight from Nepalgunj, was substantially damaged in a heavy landing and runway excursion².

Flights in practice

In October 2024 flights resumed at Simikot Airport on a Monday after a three-day break caused by a lack of passengers¹⁰. Tara Air operated one flight that day and Nepal Airlines two, per the Simikot airport chief; Sita Air and Summit Air operated none, per the Simikot Airport Office¹⁰. The airport chief said more people were leaving Humla than entering the district¹⁰.

In December 2020 Simikot was the gateway for Indian travellers to Mansarovar, and the airlines serving the Nepalgunj to Simikot and Simikot to Hilsa sectors made good earnings during the season¹¹. That month the minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation said the airport in Simikot of Humla is as important as Lukla of Solukhumbu, and instructed the authorities to speed up construction of aprons and a parking lot there¹¹.

Onward to Hilsa and Kailash

Mount Kailash is one of the most sacred destinations for Hindu and Buddhist devotees³.

Pilgrims and trekkers bound for Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash in Tibet fly into Simikot and proceed to the international border at Hilsa on foot². The walk from Simikot to Hilsa takes 4-5 days, with overnight stops at a few villages, and crosses the 4,530 m Nara La pass⁸. Travel companies offer helicopter flights over the same distance that take about 20 minutes⁸.

Summit Air gives May to mid-October as the best time to visit Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar³. Humla is also the starting point for trekking and mountaineering, reached from Simikot Airport, and the trekking route to Tibet starts from Simikot⁸. Route detail is on the Simikot to Hilsa trek page, and the pilgrimage is covered in Kailash via Humla.