Flights In and Out of Bhutan

Bhutan remained cut off from the rest of the world until the early 1960’s. Entering the country was difficult as it was only accessible by foot from the North and the South. The Northern route was through Tibet (China), crossing high mountain passes that were inaccessible throughout the winters because of high frozen mountain passes. The second entry route from the South came through the plains of Assam and West Bengal with dense jungles infested with malaria making it extremely difficult to enter the country.

However, economic development has made the country much more accessible and there are now a network of roads entering into Bhutan from the South and an International Airport in the Western part of the country.  

Travel by Air:  Bhutan has its international airport in Paro (western Bhutan) situated at an altitude of 2300 meters / 7300 feet above sea level and it is surrounded by mountains as high as 4876 meters / 16000 feet making it one of the world’s most challenging airports.

Flying into Paro Airport is typically an exciting experience as the descent into Paro valley brings you closer to the mountain tops.  

There are also three domestic airports spread in Bhutan. One in Bumthang (central) Yonphula (east) and Gelephu (central south part) of Bhutan. Druk Air operates Domestic flight in Bhutan.

There are two airlines operating flights in and Out of Bhutan. Druk Air which is Government owned and a private airline called Bhutan Airlines.

Bhutan offers direct flights connecting to popular regions such as:

Dhaka (Bangladesh),

Bagdogra, Calcutta, Delhi, Guwahati (India),

Katmandu (Nepal),

Changi (Singapore) and

Bangkok (Thailand).

Note: We book and purchase flight tickets on your behalf WITHOUT any additional cost. 

Druk Air operates DAILY flight In and Out of Bhutan from:

Bangkok in Thailand, 

Calcutta in India,

Kathmandu in Nepal.

Druk Air operates TWICE a week flight from:

Singapore,

Dhaka in Bangladesh, 

Delhi, Guwahati, and Bagdogra in India. 

Bhuatn Airlines operate DAILY flight In and Out of Bhutan from:

Bangkok in Thailand.

Bhutan Airlines operate THRICE a week flight from:

Katmandu in Nepal,

Delhi and Calcutta in India.

Note: We can arrange flights In and Out of Bhutan ONLY from the above-mentioned sectors. You will have to arrange your own flight till the above-mentioned sectors for connections. Bhutan flight time can change quite often depending on the weather, so we advise you NOT to book your connecting international tickets on restriction, especially the departure flight from Bhutan. We advise you to keep your transit time between your flights up to 6 hours. 

Baggage allowance of International flight of both Druk Air and Bhutan Airlines is 40 kgs. for Business class and 30 kgs. for Economy class. 

The domestic fight baggage allowance is only 20 kgs. 

Flight Duration: International flight.

Flight Duration: Domestic flight. 

Airlines ticket cancellation charges:

• 90% refund for tickets cancelled before 30 days of departure.
• 75% refund for tickets cancelled before 9 days of departure.
• 50% refund for tickets cancelled before 4 days of departure.
• No refund for tickets cancelled 3 days or less before the date of travel.

Travel by Land.

The main roads entering the country are through Phuentsholing in the south west, linking Bhutan with the Indian plains of West Bengal and Samdrup Jongkhar, in the south east linking with the Indian state of Assam.

Phuntsholing and Samdrup Jongkhar are located along the southern border of India and are the only overland border entries open to international tourists. 

The town of Phuntsholing is located approximately 170 km east of the Bagdogra airport in India. It takes 3 hrs drive to reach Phuntsholing from the Airport. After crossing Phuntsholing, you will begin a mountainous climb until you enter Thimphu, the capital city. The 176 km journey takes around five and half hours. 

Samdrup Jongkhar is the other entry point in Eastern Bhutan. The town borders the Indian district of Darranga, Assam and is approximately 150 kms away from Guwahati Airport. The journey from Guwahati to Samdrup Jingkhar is about 3 hours. Tourists entering Bhutan through Samdrup Jongkhar will have to travel through Trashigang, the largest province in the country. And from there drive west to traverse four provinces Mongar, Bumthang, Trongsa and Wangde Phodrang to reach the capital city Thimphu.