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| Founded | 5 April 1981; 43 years ago (1981-04-05) | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 11 February 1983; 42 years ago (1983-02-11) | ||||||
| Operating bases | Paro Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | HappinessSmiles | ||||||
| Fleet size | 5 | ||||||
| Destinations | 19 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Paro,Bhutan | ||||||
| Key people | Tandi Wangchuk (CEO)[2] | ||||||
| Revenue |  Nu.2.8 billion (2015)[3] | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Drukair Corporation Limited (Dzongkha:འབྲུག་མཁའ་འགྲུལ་ལས་འཛིན།),operating asDrukair — Royal Bhutan Airlines, is theflag carrier of theKingdom of Bhutan,[4] headquartered in the westerndzongkhag ofParo.[5]
Founded in 1981, ten years afterDruk GyalpoJigme Dorji Wangchuck gradually began to open up the kingdom fromself-imposed isolation, and seven years after welcoming its first foreign visitors, the airline commenced operations in 1983 with flights fromKolkata toParo utilisingDornier 228 aircraft. A switch toBAe 146-100 equipment occurred in November 1988, and, to meet increased demand, those aircraft were replaced in 2004 with fiveAirbus A319s.
Drukair operates a modest scheduled flight network within theSouth Asian andSoutheast Asian region from itsbase atParo Airport and currently serves thirteen destinations in six countries.[6]
The airline also owns a small fleet of fourAirbus A320 family jets, threeA319 and oneA320neo, oneATR 42 turboprop regional aircraft, and two A321XLRs on order.
In 1968, theIndian Border Roads Organisation built anairstrip in theParovalley, which was initially used for on-callhelicopter operations by theIndian Armed Forces for theRoyal Government of Bhutan. After consideration by KingJigme Singye Wangchuck and theTshogdu, Drukair was established byroyal charter on 5 April 1981, ten years after theDruk Gyalpo, King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck gradually began to open up the Kingdom fromself-imposed isolation, and seven years after welcoming its first foreign visitors.[7][8][9]
Paro Airport is located deep in a valley 2,235 metres (7,333 ft)above sea level, and is surrounded bymountains as high as 4,900 metres (16,100 ft).[10] At the time, therunway was 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) in length,[7] giving the Bhutanese government specific requirements for a choice of aircraft to be operated. They required an 18–20 seatSTOL-capable aircraft with operating capabilities which included a highservice ceiling, highrate of climb and high manoeuvrability. The major requirement for the aircraft was that it must be capable of flyingKolkata – Paro – Kolkata, a 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) round-trip flight, without refuelling, due to minimalinfrastructure being available at Paro for this purpose. Three different aircraft types were considered afterflight tests in India and Bhutan between 1978 and 1980; however, none was deemed suitable.[7]
In mid-1981, theIndian government set up a committee to study its own requirements for a light transport aircraft. Based upon this competition, the Bhutanese government ordered oneDornier 228-200 for delivery in January 1983, with the option for a second aircraft for delivery in late 1983. The first 18-seat Dornier 228-200 landed at Paro Airport on 14 January 1983, the exact time of landing, the number of passengers on board and even the direction in the aircraft was parked on the airport apron were predetermined by thehigh lama ofParo Dzong.[7]
The airline inaugurated scheduled revenue flights on 11 February 1983, with Flight 101 departing Paro for Kolkata and returning the next day as Flight 102. For the first four weeks, the flight was operated three times a week, after which it was increased to a daily flight.[7] At the time of service commencement, Paro Airport consisted of the runway, a two-roomair traffic control building (with the ground floor acting as thecheck-in counter) and adeparture lounge on the lawn.[11] Before the establishment of theDepartment of Civil Aviation in January 1986, the airline was responsible for the operation and maintenance of airport infrastructure.[12] The airline commenced flights toDhaka inBangladesh on 30 October 1986.[13][14]
| 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers flown | 2,854 | 4,480 | 5,928 | 7,776 | 8,700 |
| Distance flown ('000 km) | 64 | 125 | 125 | 205 | n/a |
| Revenue passenger kilometres ('000 km) | 1,612 | 2,531 | 3,349 | 4,381 | n/a |
On 30 December 1987, aUS$25 million order was placed withBritish Aerospace for aBAe 146-100STOLregional jet.[16][17] The purchase of the aircraft was financed by the government, obtaining, for the first time in the country's history, acommercial loan.[18] In 1988, the airline's operational base was shifted from Kolkata to Paro Airport and the airline hired its first seven flight attendants, who were trained by Thai Airways International.[13] On 21 November 1988, the BAe 146 was delivered to Paro Airport. With the introduction of the BAe 146, Drukair was able to widen its network to link Paro withDelhi on 26 November 1988,Bangkok on 28 January 1989 andKathmandu in April 1989.[14] In the first full year of operational service with the BAe 146, the airline achieved an averageload factor of 50–60 percent, more than the 40 percent which was expected, carrying 12,732 passengers over the 1989 – 1990 period.[14][19] In 1990, the runway at Paro Airport was lengthened from 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) and reinforced for heavier aircraft.[13][20] Ahangar was also constructed for the aircraft, which was funded by the Indian government as part of the Paro Airport Development Project.[8]
The airline's only aircraft was requisitioned by King Jigme Singye on 9 November 1990, in order to allow the king and his party to travel toTokyo for thecoronation ofAkihito asEmperor of Japan.[21] FromJapan, the King then travelled toMalé in theMaldives for theSouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit between 21 and 23 November, and returned to Bhutan in order for the aircraft to re-enter service with the airline on 25 November.[21] Due to a requirement stipulated by the Bhutanese government that all foreign tourists, with the exception of Indiannationals, enter and leave Bhutan by air, the country's tourism industry was brought to a halt, which saw the airline paying hefty penalties to disgruntledtour operators.[9][21] This problem was somewhat alleviated when a second BAe 146 entered service in 1992,[22] and on 11 November 1993, the airline introduced a 10 Executive Class on the aircraft.[13] On 13 May 1991, Drukair was registered under the Companies Act of Bhutan.[13] Service toYangon, the capital of Myanmar, began on 6 January 1997.[23]
During 2000–2001, Drukair could operate with only one single aircraft for over a year due to acorrosion defect in its A5-RGD aircraft in the wing tanks that was detected during a check atWoodford. The wings were replaced. In 2002, an RJ70 was wet-leased fromairBaltic to cover for maintenance to A5-RGE.[25]
Drukair became the launch customer for theAvro RJX-85 in April 2000 when it placed an order withBAE Systems for two aircraft, with deliveries initially scheduled to take place in November 2001 and January 2002.[26] Delays in the first flight andcertification of the RJX pushed back expected delivery to Drukair to after April 2002.[27] BAe Systems cancelled the RJX program in November 2002,[28] due to receiving orders from only two airlines,[29] Drukair andBritish European.[28] With British European threateninglegal action toenforce their contract with BAE Systems,[30] theaircraft manufacturer offered to fulfil the contract for Drukair, although airline management decided against acquiring the aircraft, citing potential problems with sourcingspare parts for the aircraft in future.[29]
In order to find a replacement for the 2 BAe 146s, Drukair management fielded submissions fromAirbus,Boeing andEmbraer to determine their products' suitability to meet Drukair's stringent operational requirements.Bombardier was also invited by management to demonstrate theCRJ900regional jet,[31] however, the airline was advised by Bombardier the aircraft would be unsuited for operations at Paro.[32] In February 2002, the Airbus A319 became the largest aircraft to ever land at Paro Airport, when Airbus demonstrated the aircraft to the airline. By October, Boeing had withdrawn from the competition due to not being able to source an aircraft to demonstrate to the airline. With theEmbraer E-190 yet to fly, it was expected that Drukair would order the A319. However, the government had concerns regarding financing for the purchase, and in October the final decision was delayed.[33] After a short period of time, the government instructed management to begin evaluations once again,[32] and aBoeing 737-700 conducted eleventest flights at Paro Airport in February 2003, in which it was demonstrated it met the requirements of the airline for operation into Paro.[34]
Airbus signed amemorandum of understanding with Drukair in July 2003 for two 114-seatAirbus A319-115, powered by twoCFM56-5B engines, for delivery in the second half of 2004.[35][36][37] The purchase of the two jets, valued at 3,534.36 millionBhutanese ngultrum (BTN),[16] was the biggest single purchase ever made by Bhutan, and was largely responsible for a 250 percent increase in the Bhutanesetrade deficit over the previous year for thefinancial year 2004–2005.[38][39] The Bhutanese government issued BTN 1,767.18 million ingovernment bonds to pay for one aircraft and for only the second time in Bhutan's history intended to seek acommercial loan for the other aircraft.[16][18] However, in October 2004 it announced it would instead seek asoft loan for this purpose.[16]
On 11 November 2003, the king's birthday, Drukair initiated services toGaya, India.[40]Bodh Gaya, 10 kilometres (6 mi) from Gaya, is the site of theMahabodhi Temple whereSiddhārtha Gautama, theBuddha, reachedenlightenment, and 30,000–40,000 Bhutanese make thepilgrimage every year.[41]Pilgrims have previously made the pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya via a 2–3-day overland trip from the Bhutanese border town ofPhuntsholing, and Drukair management plans on acquiring 20–30% of this traffic,[40][41] although the airline had yet to record aprofit on the route as of February 2006.[42] The following month, as a result ofRoyal Bhutan Army efforts to expel from Bhutan territory Indianseparatistinsurgent groups, notably theUnited Liberation Front of Asom and theNational Democratic Front of Bodoland,[43] flights toDhaka were suspended from 29 December in order to prevent insurgents from using Drukair flights to escape to alleged hideouts in Bangladesh.[44][45]
The first Airbus A319 arrived in Bhutan on 19 October 2004,[35] the date chosen after a Buddhistastrologer was consulted to ensure the aircraft arrived in Bhutan on anauspicious day in theBuddhist calendar.[16] Before entering service on commercial flights on 31 October 2004,[46] Drukair took their A319 on a country-wide flight in honour of the ascension ofCrown PrinceJigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to theChhoetse Penlop.[16] The second aircraft was delivered by Airbus to Drukair in December 2004.[47] On 31 August 2012, Druk Air took delivery of a third Airbus A319.[citation needed]
In July 2005, the governments of India and Bhutan signed a newbilateral air services agreement which increased the allowable number of weekly flights between the two countries from 12 to 49. In addition to destinations already served by Drukair, the cities ofMumbai,Chennai andGuwahati were included in their services agreement, with Bhutan being grantedfifth freedom rights from several Indian cities to onward destinations such asYangon,Dhaka andSingapore.[48][49]
Domestichelicopter service was inaugurated in November 2005,[50] in line with aresolution by the Council of Ministers in April 2001 which stated that domestic services should be introduced. Thirtyheliports across the country were identified, and the introduction of services saw, for example, the 550 kilometres (340 mi) trip fromThimphu toTrashigang taking only one hour, instead of two to three days.[51] TheEurocopter Ecureuil helicopter operated by theNepalese operator,Air Dynasty, had by January 2006 seen 30 hours of service, netting DrukairUS$3,000 in profits.[50]
Flights to Dhaka, suspended since 29 December 2003, resumed on 23 October 2006,[52] and the airline was given rights to fly toChittagong andCox's Bazar by the Bangladeshi authorities.[53] The airline announced plans in July 2007 to start scheduled flights to Mumbai viaKathmandu from March 2008,[54] inline with thestrategy of Drukair management to increase the number of Indiantourists travelling to Bhutan during the low season months of June through August and November through February.[55] These plans were put on hold in March 2008, due to Paro Airport not being able to handle night flights and the airline only being able to securelanding slots at Mumbai'sChhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 3 am.[55] Plans for services toHong Kong,Singapore,Abu Dhabi,Dubai andSharjah were also shelved.[55]
The airline posted its first profit in 2007 of BTN 31.15 million.[56] The two BAe 146 aircraft were sold toStar Perú in October 2007 for US$3.3 million, and left Bhutan forPeru in November and December 2007.[57][58]
Druk GyalpoJigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on 11 November 2007 issued aRoyal Kasho establishing Druk Holding and Investments Limited, aholding company which would manage existing and future investments of the Royal Bhutanese government. As a result, sevengovernment-owned companies, including Drukair, had their ownership transferred from theMinistry of Finance to the newly formed holding company.[59] Incorporated on 13 November 2007, Druk Holding and Investments announced in December 2007 that given Bhutan's tourism industry being reliant on Drukair, the head of the government agency overseeing tourism development in Bhutan would become thechairperson of Drukair, and would be responsible for improving the performance of the national airline.[60]
In March 2008, Drukair introduced a new uniform for itsflight attendants, consisting of a contemporarykira and tego.[61] The uniforms were introduced for thecentenary celebrations of the monarchy, as well as the airlines ownsilver jubilee.[22] The uniform was chosen by way of a competition in which five Bhutanesefashion designers submitted entries, with the winner receiving a BTN 75,000 prize.[61] Thetextiles used in the new uniform was chosen via a competition which was jointly organised by Drukair and theUnited Nations Development Programme to promote the Bhutanesetextile industry andculture.[62][63]
Although the government of Bhutan goes to great lengths to prevent outside influences from intruding onBhutanese culture, Drukair is not immune to problems which affect theairline industry and theworld community at large. In June 2008, citinghikes in the price of oil and the need to containoperational costs, the airline reducedfrequencies across its network and announced an increase inairfares to offset the increased costs, whilst taking advantage of the lower cost ofjet fuel at Delhi, Kolkata and Bangkok airports.[64] Due to its small network which is reliant onfifth-freedom rights,[65] Drukair regularlyleases its aircraft to other airlines, such asMyanmar Airways International andBangkok Airways in order to keeputilisation rates on its aircraft higher than they would under normal circumstances, whilst at the same time earning extrarevenue.[65][66][67][68]
The airline was due to begin flights on 20 April 2009 toBagdogra Airport in India, but had to delay the inaugural flight due to the lack of immigration andcustoms facilities at the airport.[69] The inaugural flight to Bagdogra Airport left Paro Airport on 18 June 2009, making Drukair the first international airline to operate into the airport. In Bagdogra, a ceremony was held which was attended byS. M. Krishna, theIndian Minister for External Affairs, andLyonpo Ugyen Tshering, theBhutanese Minister of Foreign Affairs.[70]
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(December 2014) |
Until 23 August 2010 Drukair was the only airline flying into Bhutan.[71]
The airline is important for Bhutan and theBhutanese people,[65] connecting Bhutan with the outside world and supportingtourism and export markets.[72][73][74]
In October 2009, the Bhutanese government planned construction works for an airstrip inYongphulla. The airstrip, which was expected to be 3,900 feet (1,200 m) in length and operational by March 2010, would allow for service by small aircraft in the 15–16 seat category.[75] The project was being financed with Nu. 34 million from the budget which was previously allocated to the development of domestic helicopter services. The airstrip would only be operational during the morning hours due to high winds in the afternoon, making safe operations risky.[76]
Drukair is conducting afeasibility study into operating flights to the airstrip from Paro, as well as two others which are under construction atBathpalathang andGelephu.[77][78]
In 2006, theIndian government, acting for the Bhutanese government, conducted a feasibility study into the viability of aninternational airport near the southern Bhutanese town ofGelephu.[48] In the five-year plan (which covers 2008–2013) the sum of BTN 2,826 million had been allocated by the Bhutanese government for development of the new airport.[79] A preliminarysurvey was conducted byIndia in May 2006 and the survey team from theAirports Authority of India was to return and complete the final survey in September 2006. In October 2008 the project was shelved, and the Bhutanese government decided that the airport at Gelephu would be used for domestic flights only.[80]
Since then, the construction of a domestic airport at Gelephu has been scheduled to commence in late 2010 with the airport proposing to start operations in June 2011. The Bhutanese Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has indicated that Gelephu's will be an 'all-weather' airport that may be able to accept some international traffic in the future.[80]
Under theVision 2020 Plan, theRoyal Bhutanese Government has identified the requirement for improved external air links by 2017, in an effort to increase tourism revenue 100% by 2012 and 150% by 2017.[81] Drukair is conducting feasibility studies into the commencement of operations to either Hong Kong or Singapore by March 2011. The airline's commercial manager has stated that preliminary studies show that Bhutanese traffic to Singapore would consist mainly of official travel, whilst traffic to Hong Kong would be mainly commercial, with good prospects for tourism development.[82]
On 21 April 2010, anATR 42 turboprop regional aircraft was delivered to Paro under a nine-month lease. The aircraft was used on flights from Paro to Kolkata and Kathmandu, and was on standby during theSouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit inThimphu at the end of April.[82] Drukair announced its intention to join theInternational Air Transport Association in 2009.[83]
During February 2018, Druk air performed a few charter flights to Hong Kong and additional charter flights were on slate during the following months. The airline had received request for charter flights to other destinations in Asia. It was also reported that Druk air would be adding anAirbus A320neo aircraft as well as purchasing a new ATR-42-600 aircraft.[84]
Drukair took delivery of its new ATR 42-600 on 22 October 2019.[85] This was followed by the delivery of the Airbus A320neo in April 2020.[86]
Drukair operates scheduled flights to the following destinations:[87][88][89]
Drukair has codeshare and interline agreements with the following airlines:
As of May 2022[update], the Drukair fleet consists of the following aircraft:[citation needed]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | Registrations | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | |||||
| Airbus A319-100 | 3 | — | 16 | 102 | 118 | A5-JSW A5-RGF A5-RGG | |
| Airbus A320neo | 1 | 3 | 20 | 120 | 140 | Deliveries from 2030.[102] | A5-JKW |
| Airbus A321XLR | — | 2 | TBD | ||||
| ATR 42-600 | 1 | — | 8 | 32 | 40 | A5-JNW | |
| Total | 5 | 5 | |||||
An ATR 42-500 first operated on a nine-month lease from April 2010 was evaluated by the airline with the possibility of a future purchase. On 4 June 2011, a purchased ATR 42-500 arrived in Paro. Drukair had bought the 48-seater with the view of using it to service the domestic routes to Bumthang and Yonphula in late 2011.[82] On 22 October 2019, Drukair received a new ATR 42-600 following which it sold its ATR 42-500 to ATR.[103]
On 12 October 2021, Drukair inaugurated its first Airbus A320neo. The aircraft was ordered in 2018 and received in April 2020.[104]
The Airbus H130 is the primary helicopter used for charter flights to remote villages. Royal Bhutan Helicopter Services, which previously operated the helicopter fleet, was merged with Druk Air to form Druk Air Helicopter Services.
The Druk Air helicopter services fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of December 2024[update]):
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Purpose | |||
| Eurocopter EC130[105] | 3 | 0 | 7 | Domestic charter | |||
| Total | 3 | 0 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Replacement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 42-500 | 1 | 2010 | 2019 | ATR 42-600 | |
| BAe 146-100 | 3 | 1987 | 2007 | Airbus A319-100 | The first jet aircraft of Druk Air. |
| Dornier 228 | 1 | 1983 | Unknown | BAe 146-100 | The first aircraft of Druk Air. |
"HapinessSmiles" formerly "My Happiness Reward" was launched by Drukair on 10 November 2014, to commemorate the birth anniversary of His Majesty the FourthDruk GyalpoJigme Singye Wangchuck and to celebrate his enlightened and visionary philosophy ofGross National Happiness.[106]
Program members can accumulate miles corresponding to the distance flown on Drukair and their class of service. Accrued miles may then be redeemed for free air tickets (Happiness Reward Ticket), upgrades at airports (Happiness Class Upgrade), and other benefits. Drukair currently offers 3 tiers of membership: Silver (Basic tier), Gold, and Platinum (the elite tier).
