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Drukair

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Druk Air is the national airline of Bhutan, based in Paro. It operates scheduled services to six cities in five neighbouring countries. Its main base is Paro Airport (PBH). Druk Air is the only airline to serve Bhutan's only airport at Paro.

Code Data

  • IATA Code: KB
  • ICAO Code: DRK
  • Callsign: Royal Bhutan

History

The airline was established by Royal Proclamation on 5 April 1981. Operations started on 14 January 1983 using an 18-seat Dornier 228-200. Services were operated from Paro to Kolkata and Dhaka.

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 New Delhi, Bangkok and Kathmandu. The first commercial flight with an Airbus A319 took place on 31 October 2004 and the airline has disposed of the 2 BAe 146s.

Druk Air is wholly owned by the government of Bhutan (Ministry of Finance). For Bhutan is a landlocked country, the importance of aviation is paramount to the development of the country in enhancing the economic well being of the people as well as fostering quicker communications in the fastest growing region. Druk Air is committed to bringing the world closer to the Land of the Thunder Dragon.

Services

As of February 2005, Druk Air operates the following services from Paro to the following destinations:

The airline plans to fly to Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai in the future.

Fleet

The Druk Air fleet consists of 2 Airbus A319-100 aircraft (at September 2005).