Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Image courtesy : BBS
Officials of Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines, the Bhutanese Queen Ashi Dechen Yangzom Wangchuck and other important dignitaries from various organizations in Bhutan officially welcome Drukair's first ATR 42-600 at Paro airport on 26 October 2019. Registered as A5-JNW in honour of Bhutan's beloved Gyalsey, the brand new aircraft arrives in Paro at 10 am on 26 October 2019 from Toulouse via Delhi. The aircraft complements Drukair's existing fleet of three Airbus A319s and replaces the existing ATR 42-500.
Drukair has been operating the ATR 42-500 since 2011. The 48-Economy Class-seater aircraft is 16 years old, which is one of the reasons Drukair decided to replace the aircraft. However, the aircraft can only carry on an average 30 to 35 passengers because of the payload restriction out of airports in Bhutan due to altitude and obstacles around Paro airport.
Drukair is the first airline to benefit from the advantages of the aircraft's Clear Vision System (CVS) which generates images of terrain and obstacles using extensive database.
The ATR fitted with Clear Vision System on nose (CVS) is designed for low visibility, which is expected to minimize cancellations due to weather.
The Clear Vision System uses infrared cameras to generate images of surrounding landscape even if the weather conditions are adverse and even at night. These images are super imposed on the existing GIS terrain data to generate a synthetic clear image of the terrain. With the help of GPS, the terrain information is updated to real time. This technically improves pilots’ situational awareness and enhances their vision, which Drukair hope will decrease the cancellation of flights.
The new ATR 42-600 has a glass cockpit, which means that there is a significant change from analog to digital with improved and much advanced instrument system.
The ATR 42-600 aircraft of Drukair is configured with 40 seats of which 8 are Business Class and 32 are Economy Class seats. The reduction in number of Economy Class seats compared to the ATR 42-500 allows the airline to carry Business Class passengers. Drukair is deploying the new aircraft with Business Class seats on domestic routes from Paro from 1 November 2019.
The new ATR 42-600 that costs around USD 18.5 million is used on the airline’s domestic routes to Bumthang, Gelephu and Yongpula as well as regional routes to Kathmandu, Delhi, Kolkata, Gaya, Bagdogra and Dhaka. Drukair has acquired this aircraft with debt-to-equity ratio of 70:30. For the debt Drukair has borrowed around USD 13 million from SDF. The loan will be paid off because the ATR is servicing the neighbouring SAARC countries Nepal, Bangladesh and India.
Tandi Wangchuk, Chief Executive Officer of Drukair said: “Drukair would like to thank the RGoB for its support by providing sovereign guarantee for the loan from SDF and also interest subsidy on the loan which has helped Drukair deliver better regional and domestic connectivity. The safety, convenience and comfort of our commuters are what continue to drive and motivate the Drukair team. We wish nothing but the best for our clients.”
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Image courtesy : BBS
Officials of Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines, the Bhutanese Queen Ashi Dechen Yangzom Wangchuck and other important dignitaries from various organizations in Bhutan officially welcome Drukair's first ATR 42-600 at Paro airport on 26 October 2019. Registered as A5-JNW in honour of Bhutan's beloved Gyalsey, the brand new aircraft arrives in Paro at 10 am on 26 October 2019 from Toulouse via Delhi. The aircraft complements Drukair's existing fleet of three Airbus A319s and replaces the existing ATR 42-500.
Drukair has been operating the ATR 42-500 since 2011. The 48-Economy Class-seater aircraft is 16 years old, which is one of the reasons Drukair decided to replace the aircraft. However, the aircraft can only carry on an average 30 to 35 passengers because of the payload restriction out of airports in Bhutan due to altitude and obstacles around Paro airport.
Drukair is the first airline to benefit from the advantages of the aircraft's Clear Vision System (CVS) which generates images of terrain and obstacles using extensive database.
The ATR fitted with Clear Vision System on nose (CVS) is designed for low visibility, which is expected to minimize cancellations due to weather.
The Clear Vision System uses infrared cameras to generate images of surrounding landscape even if the weather conditions are adverse and even at night. These images are super imposed on the existing GIS terrain data to generate a synthetic clear image of the terrain. With the help of GPS, the terrain information is updated to real time. This technically improves pilots’ situational awareness and enhances their vision, which Drukair hope will decrease the cancellation of flights.
The new ATR 42-600 has a glass cockpit, which means that there is a significant change from analog to digital with improved and much advanced instrument system.
The ATR 42-600 aircraft of Drukair is configured with 40 seats of which 8 are Business Class and 32 are Economy Class seats. The reduction in number of Economy Class seats compared to the ATR 42-500 allows the airline to carry Business Class passengers. Drukair is deploying the new aircraft with Business Class seats on domestic routes from Paro from 1 November 2019.
The new ATR 42-600 that costs around USD 18.5 million is used on the airline’s domestic routes to Bumthang, Gelephu and Yongpula as well as regional routes to Kathmandu, Delhi, Kolkata, Gaya, Bagdogra and Dhaka. Drukair has acquired this aircraft with debt-to-equity ratio of 70:30. For the debt Drukair has borrowed around USD 13 million from SDF. The loan will be paid off because the ATR is servicing the neighbouring SAARC countries Nepal, Bangladesh and India.
Tandi Wangchuk, Chief Executive Officer of Drukair said: “Drukair would like to thank the RGoB for its support by providing sovereign guarantee for the loan from SDF and also interest subsidy on the loan which has helped Drukair deliver better regional and domestic connectivity. The safety, convenience and comfort of our commuters are what continue to drive and motivate the Drukair team. We wish nothing but the best for our clients.”
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