Drukair to increase frequency to Singapore and resume flights to Yangon with A319 Sharklet

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines has started utilizing its latest Airbus A319 aircraft, the A319 Sharklet on its existing international routes to Delhi and Kolkata from Paro last week. Soon the aircraft will also operate on routes to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi from Paro and Mumbai in April 2015.

The A319 Sharklet showing the word Drukair in smaller text size below the words Royal Bhutan Airlines along the aircraft body was purchased at a cost of over 43 million US Dollars from the aircraft manufacturing company- Airbus. The plane has been registered as A5 JSW to commemorate the 60th Birth Anniversary of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo. The airline took delivery of the aircraft from Germany on 15 March 2015. It arrived in Paro on 16 March 2015.

The plane has several technical upgrades, most visibly the “sharklets” which provide improved aerodynamic efficiency of the wings and fuel saving advantage of up to 4 per cent.

“Engine on this aircraft has better improved technology and along with the sharklets on the wings, it will give an enhanced performance, we will be able to carry 1800 kgs more out of Paro, which is very critical,” said Drukair’s Chief Executive Officer, Tandin Jamso.

Passengers of Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines on this aircraft will also experience several improvements, most notably the in-flight entertainment system. The aircraft also has lighter and thinner seats, with the same comfort but more spacing, larger overhead baggage stores and charger ports inside the plane.

Tandin Jamso says Drukair now has more flexibility in terms of increasing flight frequencies or extending flight routes. The airline is looking into resuming commercial flights to Yangon by end of 2015 or beginning of 2016. It is initiating charter flights to Ahmedabad later this year. It is also looking at increasing flight frequency to Singapore from 3 flights a week by June to 4 by October 2015 with the A319 Sharklet.