Nepalgunj: the airport hub for flights into west Nepal

Nepalgunj sits on the Terai plains near the southern border with Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh, India, and its airport has operated flights to the western hill districts¹. Below are the city and its airport; the flights beyond are in the getting-there hub.

Where it is

Nepalgunj is a sub-metropolitan city in Banke district, Lumbini Province^2,1. It stands at 150 m above sea level, and the 2021 census gave it 166,258 people¹. Ghorahi lies 153 km to the north-east side of it and Kohalpur is 16 km north¹.

The airport is 6 km north of the city centre¹. It was named Mahendra Airport after King Mahendra, but it is commonly called Ranjha Airport¹.

Nepalgunj Airport

The airport’s IATA code is KEP and its ICAO code is VNNG³. It has been in service since 1961 and sits at 540 feet (165 m) above mean sea level⁵. It has one asphalt runway, designated 08/26, measuring 1,700 m by 30 m⁵. In land area it is the fourth largest airport in Nepal, and it has the second greatest number of aircraft and passenger movements of all domestic airports⁵. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal’s list of airports in operation places Nepalgunj in the domestic hub category⁸.

In 2005 Flying Dragon Airlines set up its operating base at the airport, and the airline ceased to operate one year later⁵. An upgrade to serve as an international airport began in 2018⁵.

Flights from Kathmandu

Two operators describe the Kathmandu route on their own pages. In October 2026 Yeti Airlines listed Kathmandu to Nepalgunj and back every day². In October 2026 Buddha Air listed 6 daily flights, with night flights among them, and a flight time of 50 minutes over about 366 km³.

Onward flights to the hills

Nepalgunj is the main entry point for flights onward to remote districts such as Humla, Jumla, Dolpa and Mugu². Its airport has operated flights to Kathmandu and to Humla, Dolpa, Jumla, Mugu and Rukum¹. Each route has its own page: flights to Jumla, flights to Simikot, flights to Talcha for Rara Lake and flights to Juphal for Dolpo.

Since the 2015 earthquake the Simikot to Hilsa route in Humla has become the dominant route for Kailash pilgrimage through Nepal, and Nepalgunj airport is the gateway for pilgrims on it¹.

The new terminal

In October 2025 the new terminal building at Ranjha Airport was complete, two months ahead of schedule⁴. Work started in January 2023 under a three-year deadline⁴. The project cost Rs 2.74 billion excluding VAT⁴. The new terminal was built after the old one was unable to meet the increasing number of passengers and future air demand⁶. Kantipur’s November 2025 figure for the margin is one and a half months ahead of schedule⁷.

Climate and when to pass through

Nepalgunj has a sub-tropical climate, and temperatures sometimes exceed 40 °C from April to June¹. The rainy season arrives in June and lasts into September, when it is less hot but sometimes very humid¹. Winter is usually pleasant while the sun is out, but it can be foggy and overcast, with temperatures below 10 °C and no frost¹.

By road and around Nepalgunj

The Mahendra Highway, the country’s longest, runs through Kohalpur¹. Surkhet, an Inner Terai valley, lies north of Nepalgunj¹; the road up to Jumla and beyond is described on the Karnali Highway page.

Bardia National Park is an hour’s drive west, and the Karnali River is a 90-minute drive west¹. Buddha Air also names Bageshwori Temple as a famous Hindu temple in Nepalgunj, and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh as a 5-hour drive away³.

Services and people

Hotel and restaurant industries in Nepalgunj have grown significantly¹. The city has hospitals including Bheri Zonal Hospital and Nepalgunj Medical College Teaching Hospital¹.

At the 2011 census, 33.7% of residents spoke Nepali as a first language, 30.7% Awadhi and 27.2% Urdu¹. The 2011 population was 141,241¹.