Flying To Bhutan To Get Simpler With Air India-Drukair Tie-Up

Flying to Bhutan is likely to get simpler, with Air India and Drukair-Royal Bhutan Airlines announcing an interline partnership to enhance seamless travel and strengthen network connectivity between the two countries and beyond.

Paro International Airport, the only international airport in Bhutan, is served by Drukair-Royal Bhutan Airlines with flights to Bangkok, Delhi, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Singapore, Kolkata, Bagdogra, and Guwahati, among other international destinations.

No other airlines fly to Bhutan.

The new arrangement makes it possible for passengers to use Air India to seamlessly travel to Paro via Delhi from across Air India's international network. It will also provide convenient onward connections within Bhutan, from Paro to Bumthang, Gelephu, and Yonphula.

The partnership enables passengers to benefit from a single-ticket itinerary combining Air India and Drukair flights, ensuring a seamless end-to-end travel experience. It offers coordinated baggage and passenger through transfer to the final destination, delivering a seamless travel experience via Air India's hub at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. Passengers will also benefit from competitive interline fares, providing enhanced flexibility, improved connectivity, and greater overall value.

For Air India, this is another milestone. With this partnership, the Tata Group-owned airline now offers seamless connectivity to nearly all countries in the SAARC region through its own or partner network.

Reciprocally, Drukair passengers gain direct access via Delhi, Guwahati, and Kolkata to Air India's extensive domestic network, including Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kochi, as well as a wide range of major international destinations such as Paris Charles de Gaulle, Colombo, Newark, Frankfurt, New York (JFK), London (Heathrow), Melbourne, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto Pearson, and Vancouver.

"Our partnership with Drukair reinforces our commitment to strengthening connectivity across the SAARC region, which we consider our extended home market. Bhutan is a valued part of this region, and we are happy to enable easy access to Bhutan for our guests and look forward to welcoming Drukair's passengers onto Air India's extensive domestic and global network," Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India, said while announcing the partnership.

Chief Executive Officer of Drukair, Tandi Wangchuk said, "This partnership marks a significant milestone for Drukair as we continue to strengthen our global connectivity and enhance the travel experience for our passengers. Through this interline partnership with Air India, our customers will benefit from seamless journeys, expanded access to key international markets, and improved connectivity across India and beyond."

Bhutan's Paro Airport has limited capacity and is considered one of the most scenic and beautiful yet most difficult approaches in the world. It is a category C airport, which means that pilots must have special training to operate from the airport. Only about 50-odd pilots are trained to do so.

Landing here is a visual approach into a deep valley with steep mountains rising on both sides. The runway comes into view very late on the approach, and the pilots have just a few seconds to line up with the runway before touchdown, making it a high-skilled and precision task.

Bhutan is also developing the Gelephu International Airport which currently features a 1500-meter runway. With the runway being expanded to 3,000 meters, it will become the new international gateway for Bhutan with a capacity to accommodate larger, wide-body aircraft with a Code 4E runway. The Gelephu International Airport will measure 731,946 sq feet and have capacity for 123 flights a day, with a maximum of 1.3 million passengers annually.

This vital transportation hub will ensure seamless connectivity for travellers, making it an essential asset for Bhutan's growing tourism industry while overcoming the challenges of Paro International Airport.

This partnership between Air India and Drukair-Royal Bhutan Airlines is expected to further support tourism and business travel, while offering passengers greater accessibility, convenience, and value.