Druk Air Corporation Limited (འབྲུག་མཁའ་འགྲུལ་ལས་འཛིན།), operating as Drukair - Royal Bhutan Airlines, is the national airline of the Kingdom of Bhutan and operates a modest scheduled flight network within the South Asian region from its base at Paro Airport in the western dzongkhag of Paro.

Taking its name from Druk, the airline was founded in 1981, ten years after Druk Gyalpo His Majesty King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck gradually began to open up the Kingdom from self-imposed isolation, and seven years after welcoming its first foreign visitors. As the only airline flying into Bhutan, Drukair has become a lifeline with the outside world for the Bhutanese people, as well as supporting emerging inbound tourism and export markets.

History

Druk gets its wings

Paro Airport is located deep in a valley above sea level, and is surrounded by mountains as high as , with a runway in length, given which the Bhutanese government had specific requirements for a choice of aircraft to be operated. They required an 1820 seat STOL-capable aircraft with operating capabilities which included a high service ceiling, high rate of climb and high manoeuvrability. The major requirement for the aircraft was that it must be capable of flying CalcuttaParoCalcutta, a round-trip, without refuelling, due to minimum infrastructure being available at Paro for this purpose. Three different aircraft types were considered after flight tests in India and Bhutan between 1978 and 1980, however, none were deemed to be suitable.

In mid1981, the Indian government set up a committee to study its own requirements for a Light Transport Aircraft. Based upon this competition, the Bhutanese goverment ordered one Dornier 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 the aircraft was parked on the airport apron being predetermined by the high lama of Paro Dzong.

Drukair inaugurated scheduled revenue flights on 11 February 1983, with Flight 101 departing Paro for Calcutta 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. At the time of service commencement, Paro Airport consisted of the runway, a two-room air traffic control building (with the ground floor acting as the check-in counter) and a departure lounge on the lawn.

In January 1986 the Department of Civil Aviation was established by the government to regulate the operation and maintenance of airport infrastructure. Previous to the establishment of the Department these functions were carried out by Drukair.

The jet era comes to Shangri-La

On 31 December 1987, Drukair placed a US$25 million order with British Aerospace for a 72-seat BAe 146-100 STOL regional jet.

Jet services with BAe 146-100 aircraft started in November 1988 and with their introduction the network was able to be increased to link Paro with Delhi, Bangkok and Kathmandu. A second BAe 146 entered service in 1992.

The airlines only aircraft was requisitioned by Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck on 9 November 1990 in order to allow the King and his party to travel to Tokyo for the coronation of Akihito as Emperor of Japan. From Japan, the King then travelled to Malé in the Maldives for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit between 21 November23 November, and returned to Bhutan in order for the aircraft to re-enter service with the airline on 25 November. Due to a requirement stipulated by the Bhutanese government that all foreign tourists, with the exception of Indian nationals, enter and leave Bhutan by air, the country's tourism industry was brought to a halt, which saw Drukair paying hefty penalties to disgruntled tour operators.

Service to Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, began on 6 January 1997.

Drukair became the launch customer for the Avro RJX-85 in April 2000 when it placed an order with BAE Systems for two aircraft, with deliveries initially scheduled to take place in November 2001 and January 2002. Delays in the first flight and certification of the RJX pushed back expected delivery to Drukair to after April 2002. BAe Systems cancelled the RJX program in November 2002, due to receiving orders from only two airlines, Druk Air and British European. With British European threatening legal action to enforce their contract with BAe Systems, the aircraft manufacturer offered to fulfill the contract for Drukair, although airline management decided against acquiring the aircraft, citing potential problems with sourcing spare parts for the aircraft in future.

In order to find a replacement for the 2 BAe 146s, Drukair management fielded submissions from Airbus, Boeing and Embraer to determine their products suitability to meet Drukair's stringent operational requirements. Bombardier was also invited by management to demonstrate the CRJ900 regional jet, however, the airline was advised by Bombardier the aircraft would be unsuited for operations at Paro. 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 the Embraer 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. After a short period of time, the government instructed management to begin evaluations once again, and a Boeing 737-700 conducted eleven test flights at Paro Airport in February 2003 in which it was demonstrated it met the requirements of the airline for operation into Paro.

Airbus signed a memorandum of understanding with Drukair in July 2003 for two 114-seat Airbus A319, powered by two CFM56-5B engines, for delivery in the second half of 2004. The purchase of the two jets, valued at Nu. 3,534.36 million, was the biggest single purchase ever made by Bhutan, and was largely responsible for a 250 percent increase in the Bhutanese trade deficit over the previous year for the financial year 20042005. The Bhutanese government issued Nu. 1,767.18 million in government bonds to pay for one aircraft and for only the second time in Bhutan's history intended to seek a commercial loan for the other aircraft, however, in October 2004 it announced it would instead seek a soft loan for this purpose.

On 11 November 2003, the birthday of Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Drukair initiated services to Gaya, India. Bodh Gaya, from Gaya, is the site of the Mahabodhi Temple where Siddhārtha Gautama, the Buddha, reached enlightenment, and 30,00040,000 Bhutanese make the pilgrimage every year. Pilgrims have previously made the pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya via a 2-3 day overland trip from the Bhutanese border town of Phuntsholing, and Drukair management plans on acquiring 20-30% of this traffic. The following month, as a result of Royal Bhutan Army efforts to expel from Bhutan territory Indian separatist insurgent groups, notably the United Liberation Front of Asom and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, flights to Dhaka were suspended from 29 December in order to prevent insurgents from using Drukair flights to escape to alleged hideouts in Bangladesh.

Airbus

The first Airbus A319 arrived in Bhutan on 19 October 2004; the date chosen after a Buddhist astrologist was consulted to ensure the aircraft arrived in Bhutan on an auspicious day in the Buddhist calendar. Before entering service on commercial flights on 31 October 2004, Drukair took their A319 on a country-wide flight in honour of the ascencion of Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to the Chhoetse Penlop. The second aircraft was delivered by Airbus to Drukair in December 2004.

In July 2005, the governments of India and Bhutan signed a new Air Services Agreement which increased the allowable number of weekly flights between the two countries from twelve to forty-nine. In addition to destinations already served by Drukair, the cities of Mumbai, Chennai and Guwahati were included in the Air Services Agreement, with Bhutan being granted fifth freedom rights from several Indian cities to onward destinations such as Yangon, Dhaka and Singapore.

Domestic helicopter service was inaugurated in November 2005, inline with resolution by the Council of Ministers in April 2001 which stated that domestic services should be introduced. Thirty heliports across the country were identified, and the introduction of services would see, for example, the 550 kilometre trip from Thimphu to Trashigang taking only one hour, instead of twothree days. The Eurocopter Ecureuil helicopter operated by the Nepalese operator, Air Dynasty, had by January 2006 seen 30 hours of service, netting Drukair US$3,000 in profits.

The airline announced plans in July 2007 to start scheduled flights to Mumbai via Kathmandu from March 2008, inline with the strategy of Drukair management to increase the number of Indian tourists travelling to Bhutan during the low season months of JuneAugust and NovemberFebruary. 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 secure landing slots at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 3am. Plans for service to Hong Kong, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah were also shelved.

The two BAe 146 aircraft were sold to Star Perú in October 2007, and left Bhutan for Peru in November and December 2007.

Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on 11 November 2007 issued a Royal Kasho establishing Druk Holding and Investments Limited, a holding company which would manage existing and future investments of the Royal Bhutanese government. As a result, seven government-owned companies, including Drukair, had their ownership transferred from the Ministry of Finance to the newly-formed holding company. 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 the chairperson of Drukair, and would be responsible for improving the performance of the national airline.

In March 2008, Drukair introduced a new uniform for its flight attendants, consisting of a contemporary kira and tego. The uniforms were introduced for the centenary celebrations of the monarchy in Bhutan and the airlines own silver jubilee, and was chosen by way of a competition in which five Bhutanese fashion designers submitted entries, with the winning entry receiving a Nu. 75,000 prize. The textile was chosen by way of a competition jointly organised by Druk Air and the United Nations Development Programme to promote the Bhutanese textile industry and culture of Bhutan.

The airline has in recent times been criticised for its unreliability, particularly from the Bhutanese tourism industry which is still in its infancy, and regards the very company upon which it relies as its biggest threat.

The Indian government is conducting a feasibility study for the Bhutanese government into the viability of an international airport near the southern Bhutanese town of Gelephu. In the tenth five-year plan, which covers 20082013, the amount of Nu. 2,826 million has been allocated by the Bhutan government for development of the airport as per the master plan. A preliminary survey was conducted by the Indians in May 2006 and the survey team from the Airports Authority of India was to return to complete the final survey in September, however, after repeated requests from the Bhutanese the surveying team has yet to return, thereby delaying any potential development of the all-weather airport.

Destinations

Fleet

The Drukair fleet consists of the following aircraft (December 2007)

• 2 Airbus A319-100

External links

• Drukair official website
• Tashi Delek inflight magazine

References