Drukair to Launch Bhutan-Singapore Flights; Make Singapore its “Gateway to the World”

Drukair, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bhutan, which is situated in the Himalayas between China and India, is all set to launch flights to Singapore.

Drukair’s Paro-Singapore route begins commercial service on 1 September 2012.

The commencement of this twice-weekly service means passengers departing from Singapore can now reach Bhutan in under six hours, saving an overnight transfer stay in Thailand or India as visitors currently have to do.

Singapore is only the fifth country to be linked to Bhutan by air.

Singapore boasts strong ties with Bhutan. Apart from cooperation at both the government and people-to-people levels in areas such as education, healthcare and media, there has been a strong increase in the number of Singapore travellers heading to Bhutan.

In 2011, about 1,300 visitors from Singapore headed for Bhutan, representing an increase of more than 70% over 2010. Bhutan received over 64,000 visitors in 2011.

Drukair will operate a two-class configuration using the A319 aircraft on the Paro-Singapore service. The flight arrives in Singapore from Paro at 15:15 hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays, while the return flight from Singapore to Paro features an early morning departure out of Changi at 06:00 hours on Thursdays and Sundays. The flight reaches Paro at 09:45 hours, allowing travellers the entire day ahead to explore Bhutan.

Drukair will operate at Changi Airport’s Terminal 1.

Mr Tandin Jamso, Chief Executive Officer of Drukair, said, “Drukair is honoured by the warm welcome given by Singapore. For Drukair, Singapore is not just another destination, but an opportunity to bring our two nations and people together. Drukair aims to connect Singapore to Bhutan, and afford its people an opportunity to experience a way of life that is slowly fading in many countries, an opportunity to experience happiness like the Bhutanese. The goal of Drukair is to eventually make Singapore our gateway to the world.”

Get to Know Bhutan @ Changi

To raise awareness about the commencement of this new direct link to the beautiful country often hailed as the last Shangri-la, a series of activities to introduce Bhutan to the general public will be rolled out at Changi Airport’s Terminal 3 Departure Hall from 1 to 23 September 2012.

To kick off the series of activities, a photo exhibition entitled ‘Bhutan: The Unknown Kingdom’ will be held at Changi Airport.

Arranged according to the five themes of nature, culture, sights, people and transition, the exhibition will show the various facets of the kingdom, from the everyday lives of the Bhutanese, to its breathtaking scenery. The photos on exhibition, contributed by a group of photo enthusiasts and the Tourism Council of Bhutan, will also be available for sale, with proceeds going to the Changi Foundation, a community-support initiative of Changi Airport Group to help disadvantaged youths.

In addition, in conjunction with the September school holidays, there will also be fun activities for the whole family at the sidelines of the photo exhibition at Changi Airport. With a minimal spend of Sin$30, visitors can try their hand at archery, the national sport of Bhutan, and also dress up in Bhutanese costumes for a free family photo. The archery and costume tries will also be available during the weekends of 15 – 16 September and 22 – 23 September.

For visitors interested to experience Bhutan, there will be daily travel talks at 3pm and 7pm during the school holiday period and exclusive travel deals available for on-the-spot booking through travel agents.

On top of all these, visitors can take part in a lucky draw and win an all expenses paid 4D3N trip for two to Bhutan in Drukair’s Business Class. 

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