Chelinda Airport (CEH)

Chelinda Airport (CEH) is a small, high-altitude airfield inside Nyika National Park in Malawi's Northern Region. Sitting on the Nyika Plateau at roughly 2,300 metres, it is one of the highest airfields in Southern Africa and provides the quickest access to Chelinda Camp, Chelinda Lodge and the surrounding wilderness.

The airfield is used mainly by safari charter operators such as Ulendo Airlink (Nyasa Express) and Nyika Safari flights, which link Chelinda with Mzuzu and Lilongwe. It has a single unpaved runway suited to light turboprop aircraft, and operations are generally limited to daylight hours because of altitude, weather and wildlife on the plateau.

Chelinda is remote by road. Reaching it from Mzuzu typically involves a long drive on tarmac and then rough dirt tracks, with the final section from Thazima Gate to Chelinda requiring a 4x4 vehicle, especially in the rainy season. Because of this, flying is the fastest and most reliable way to reach the park.

There are no shops, restaurants or conventional airport services at the airstrip. Passengers are met on arrival by lodge vehicles and should arrange transfers in advance, as mobile coverage and public transport are very limited on the plateau.