WITH the gradual opening up of Bhutans economy and the rapid growth in the countrys tourism sector, Drukair, the national airline, is gearing up to meet the challenges in the coming years. In September, the airline introduced flights to Singapore. It has plans for a direct flight from Paro to Mumbai. The flight to Singapore will be operated with an Airbus A319 aircraft.
Drukairs present destinations include Bangkok, Dhaka and Kathmandu and New Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bagdogra and Bodhgaya in India. Hong Kong and Chennai are also in the pipeline.
Drukair was established by a royal proclamation by the Fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuk in 1981 and began operations in 1983. In its initial days the airline faced several difficulties. The search for the countrys first commercial airplane itself had its own peculiar problem. Paro may be one of the prettiest airports in the world, but since it is located at an altitude of 2,235 metres and with enormous mountains surrounding it, a specific kind of aircraft was required.
The government ordered an 18-seat Dornier 228-220, which made its Paro airstrip debut in January 1983. In its initial years, the airline was completely dependent on India for technical support.
In 1988, a new 72-seater British Aerospace BAe 146 was delivered to Paro airport, and Drukair was able to widen its network. The runway at Paro was expanded from 1,200 metres to 2,000 metres and was made ready for heavier aircraft.
Even though British Aerospace and Indian Airlines were still providing technical support, Bhutan was quietly working towards self-reliance. It had started its own pilot training programme and the maintenance base of the aircraft was shifted from Kolkata to Paro. In 1992, a second BAe 146 was added to the existing fleet. In 2004, Drukair purchased two Airbus A319s. It sold the two BAe 146s in 2007 as it became increasingly difficult to maintain two different kinds of aircraft. Paro airport is operational only during day time. Leasing out aircraft at other times gives Drukair additional revenue.
In many ways Drukair is unlike any other airline. Bhutan sees it as the countrys most prominent goodwill ambassador and a key component of the countrys economic development.
Suhrid Sankar ChattopadhyayCOMMents
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