Paro Airport (PBH/VQPR), Bhutan’s only international airport, is located 6 kilometers from the city of Paro and 50 kilometers from Thimphu, the country’s capital. PBH is known as one of the most difficult airports in the world due to its location and challenging approach, by either direction of the runway.
Where is it?
It is located in a valley at 7,332 feet, about 2,200 meters, above sea level, surrounded by the Himalayan mountains which oscillate up to 18,000 feet, more than 5,000 meters. The runway, with headings 04 and 22, is 2,265 meters long, equivalent to just over 7,400 feet. For their approach, they must fly visually, following specific points and turning through the mountains until they find the runway and land, usually without the automatic landing system.
Another factor that increases the difficulty of this airport is the strong winds, causing several flights to be diverted and/or canceled. Only a small number of pilots are allowed to operate in Paro due to these extreme conditions.
Airlines and aircraft
With regard to carriers, all airlines currently operating to/from Paro are Bhutanese, offering domestic and international routes, mainly with Airbus H130, Airbus A319-100, Airbus A320-200, Airbus A320neo, and ATR 42-600 aircraft.
Druk Air (KB/DRK), also known as Royal Bhutan Airlines, is Bhutan’s main airline and flag carrier, managed by the Royal Government of Bhutan, which focuses its operations in South Asia and the Middle East. Bhutan Airlines (B3/BTN) is the other carrier operating in Paro, the country’s first private airline, with Kathmandu and Kolkata being part of its route network from PBH/VQPR. As well as Druk Air, it has Airbus A319-100s in its fleet, although the country’s flag carrier also has ATR 42-600s, Airbus A320s and helicopters.
The airport averages six flights per day, with some days having three or four and others having seven or eight. Druk Air, besides being Bhutan’s leading airline, is the main operator in Paro, as it has more than three daily flights. Bhutan Airlines, which does not have its aircraft based in Paro, sometimes operates only one flight a day to PBH/VQPR.
Routes operated from Paro
| Destination | Airline | Flights | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok (BKK) | Druk Air | 5 weekly | Airbus A319 |
| Delhi (DEL) | Druk Air | 4 weekly | A319/A20N |
| Dhaka (DAC) | Druk Air | 2 weekly | ATR 42-600 |
| Dubai (DXB) | Druk Air | 2 weekly | Airbus A319 |
| Gelephu (GLU) | Druk Air | 2 weekly | ATR 42-600 |
| Guwahati (GAU) | Druk Air | 2 weekly | Airbus A319 |
| Jakar (BUT) | Druk Air | 2 weekly | ATR 42-600 |
| Kathmandu (KTM) | Bhutan Airlines | 4 weekly | Airbus A319 |
| Kathmandu (KTM) | Druk Air | 5 weekly | Airbus A319 |
| Kolkata (CCU) | Bhutan Airlines | 7 weekly | Airbus A319 |
| Kolkata (CCU) | Druk Air | 3 weekly | ATR 42/A319 |
| Siliguri (IXB) | Druk Air | 2 weekly | Airbus A319 |
| Trashigang (YON) | Druk Air | 2 weekly | ATR 42-600 |
Paro has about 42 weekly flights, 31 of which are operated by Druk Air and 11 by Bhutan Airlines.
According to our database, 36 of these 42 weekly flights are international, distributed among Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. Gelephu (GLU/VQGP), Jakar Bathpalathang (BUT/VQBT), and Trashigang Yongphulla (YON/VQTY) are the domestic routes within Bhutan performed from/to Paro.
Fleet
Druk Air and Bhutan Airlines are the only airlines permitted, at the time of publication, to operate flights from this airport. This is the fleet of each one:
| Airline | Aircraft | Reg | Config | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhutan Airlines | Airbus A319-115 | A5-DOR | C12Y114 | 15 years |
| Bhutan Airlines | Airbus A319-115 | A5-RIM | C12Y114 | 15 years |
| Druk Air | Airbus A319-115 | A5-JSW | C16Y102 | 10 years |
| Druk Air | Airbus A319-115 | A5-RGF | C16Y102 | 21 years |
| Druk Air | Airbus A319-115 | A5-RGG | C16Y102 | 20 years |
| Druk Air | Airbus A320-251N | A5-JKW | C20Y120 | 5 years |
| Druk Air | Airbus H130 | A5-BHU | 5 or 6 PAX | 2 years |
| Druk Air | Airbus H130 | A5-BHV | 5 or 6 PAX | 2 years |
| Druk Air | ATR 42-600 | A5-JNW | C8Y32 | 6 years |
Between 1994 and 2007, Druk Air operated two British Aerospace 146-100 aircraft. These were replaced by Airbus A319-115 aircraft with registrations A5-RGF and A5-RGG, which were added to the fleet in 2004.
In addition to aircraft, Bhutan’s flag carrier also has two helicopters in its fleet, both Airbus H130 T2 helicopters, registered as A5-BHU and A5-BHV. The two were added in 2024, with the first arriving in Paro on July 1st and the second at the end of October.
With its helicopters, Druk Air operates charter flights to remote villages, tourist flights, medical evacuation, and cargo transport to hard-to-reach areas. These aircraft have two configurations, depending on the pilots flying them. With one pilot, they can carry six passengers, while with two pilots they can carry five passengers.
As with its Airbus A319, Airbus A320, and ATR 42-600 aircraft, the two Airbus H130 helicopters are based at Bhutan International Airport.
Operate at Paro
In order to operate at Paro International Airport, one of Bhutan’s four airports, special certification and specialized training are required. This includes demonstrated knowledge of local geography, approaches to both runways, and landing procedures, as well as the ability to fly without autopilot. It is estimated that around 50 pilots are qualified to operate at PBH.
As reported by Simple Flying, to qualify for training, pilots must have a minimum of 1,500 hours, more than 500 hours of mountain flying, and an Airline Transport (ATP) certificate. After intensive training in flight simulators, conducted by the Royal Government of Bhutan in conjunction with Bhutan Airlines, qualified pilots will be able to operate in Paro without supervision following 30 takeoffs and landings.
To follow each aircraft operating at Paro
- A5-BHU · Airbus H130 · Druk Air
- A5-BHV · Airbus H130 · Druk Air
- A5-DOR · Airbus A319-115 · Bhutan Airlines
- A5-JKW · Airbus A320-251N · Druk Air
- A5-JNW · ATR 42-600 · Druk Air
- A5-JSW · Airbus A319-115 · Druk Air
- A5-RGF · Airbus A319-115 · Druk Air
- A5-RGG · Airbus A319-115 · Druk Air
- A5-RIM · Airbus A319-115 · Bhutan Airlines
Cover photo: © FoxbatOne – JetPhotos (Paro, Bhutan)
