Bhutan , Paro international , the most challenging flight

Kingdom of Bhutan is landlocked country in South Asia, generally overflying Bhutan is not requiring an official permit issued by Bhutan Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA), as its FIR controlled by China and India, but operating to their airport Paro international airport VQPR / PBH is one of the most challenging operations in the world of aviation, as crew shall fulfill special requirements by being accompanied by a guide pilot on board who has been flying into Paro Aerodrome on a regular basis or an operating crew who has flown before and knows the aerodrome very well by one of the following methods :

ü  Operating crew has undergone a simulator familiarization training of Paro Aerodrome.

ü  Operating crew has flown into Paro Aerodrome during the last year

If none of above requirements are obtained by the operating crew, a technical stop in near station located in China, India or Nepal will be essential to allow one of the local pilots (Navigator) to join the crew during their flight to Bhutan, navigator can be coordinated and booked from national carriers such as Druk air or Bhutan airlines, but Navigator fees which may reach 4000 USD shall be paid for such service including the navigator fees and his relocating charges.

There are no Navigation fees applied for overflying Bhutan, but Navigation charges will be incurred by Landing in Bhutan according to the following price list:

Other applicable Airport Fees:

Ø  Landing fee is fixed US$ 120 plus US$ 4 per MTOM.

Ø  Parking fee @US$10 for below one hour and thereafter US$ 8 per hour will be charged.

Ø  Each passenger departing for a foreign country is charged US$13

Meet and assist services are also available in Paro airport, and the prices vary depend on the season of arrival or departure

Crew for ad-hoc / scheduled flights can enter Bhutan by using Gendec provided that their passports are valid at least for 6 months, holding their crew ID and have their own Hotel booking in Paro. If they are looking to stay outside Paro, then they crew must have visa prior to arrival to Bhutan.

It is worth mentioning that it is highly recommended to plan landing before 0600Z to VQPR due to wind curfew afternoon Bhutan local time

Fuel Jet A1 is also available and require securing it in advance for all foreign registered aircraft. All payment advisable to be in advance or in cash due to non-availability of credit card facilities.

Should you need any further information about Bhutan, or if you are looking for support in your flight, please don’t hesitate to contact IFPLS, 24/7 operations: [email protected]