Bhutan Airlines announced that it will launch a new service in January, 2024, for the first time linking the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bhutan.
As landing at Paro International Airport requires more than the usual precision and skill – the airport is located between two Himalayan escarpments – only Bhutanese-trained pilots are permitted to fly into Paro.
Currently, most Americans enter Bhutan on flights from Delhi or Bangkok. The addition of a routing that enables travelers from the US to combine Bhutan with a stay in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah will make visiting Bhutan dramatically more convenient.
Bhutan Airlines flights to Bhutan will initially operate twice a week from Sharjah International Airport, a half-hour drive from downtown Dubai, using state-of-the-art Airbus A319-115 aircraft. There will be a brief en-route stop in Dhaka, with passengers not required to leave the plane.