Bhutan , Paro international , the most challenging flight

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked country in South Asia, generally Overflying Bhutan is not require an official permit issued by the Bhutan Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA), as its FIR is controlled by China and India, but operates 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 regularly or an operating crew who has flown before and knows the aerodrome very well by one of the following methods:

1.     The operating crew has undergone simulator familiarization training at Paro Aerodrome.

2.     The operating crew has flown into Paro Aerodrome during the last year.

If none of the above requirements are obtained by the operating crew, a technical stop near a 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, the 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:

1.     The landing fee is fixed at US$ 120 plus US$ 4 per MTOM.

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

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

Meet and assist services are also available at Paro Airport, and the prices vary depending on the season of arrival or departure

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

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

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

Should you need any further information about Bhutan, or if you are looking for support on your flight, please don’t hesitate to contact IFPLS, 24/7 operations: ops@ifpls.aero.

IFPLS is the best flight support company in the world, and we are working hard to be “Your Intensive Flight Operations Care”.