What It’s Like Flying To Bhutan, Where It’s So Challenging To Land, Only 50 Pilots Are Qualified To Do It — Drukair S’pore-Bhutan Flight Review
Some say the holiday begins the moment you board the plane, and that couldn’t be more true for a trip to Bhutan.
Only 50 pilots are certified to fly in and out of Bhutan’s Paro International Airport. Surrounded by mountain peaks as high as 16,000 ft, landing at the airport's 2.2km short runway is highly technical and requires incredible precision, especially since it's all done with sight and without radar. No wonder it's considered to be one of the most challenging landings in the world.
The plane's entry into Paro International Airport, from the moment the pilot announces its descent, is also one of the most visually stunning we've witnessed, thanks to the majestic mountain views.
What makes this one-of-a-kind flight experience more unique is a chartered flight for just you and your travel group. 8days.sg had the opportunity to experience just that on a recent trip hosted by Chan Brothers Travel to the kingdom of happiness.
READ MORE: Bhutan Travel Guide: We Found The Best Way To Travel To Bhutan
For those not in the know, Chan Brothers Travel charters flights to Bhutan on the country’s national carrier, Drukair, for all its tours. Getting on this chartered flight means you get to fly direct between Singapore to Bhutan, as opposed to booking a regular Drukair flight which has a half-hour layover in India. Each direct chartered flight is about five hours and accommodates up to 118 passengers.
And yes, these chartered flights are probably the closest that us plebs will get to feeling like a VIP on a private jet.
Drukair flight review: Business Class on an Airbus A319 from Singapore to Bhutan
On our flight, 16 Business Class seats make up the first four rows on the plane in a 2-2 seating formation (seats are in a 3-3 formation in Economy).
Each Business Class seat is suitably spacious, with more than enough legroom for me (I stand at 1.59m) as well as taller folks in my travel group. Though not lie-flat, seats recline by quite a bit, even at the last row of Business Class where I was. Coupled with the movable calf rest, it was comfortable enough for me as a light sleeper to get some shuteye on my red-eye flight.
Food and service on Drukair
Breakfast was served about two hours before we were due to land and in two courses. First, a fruit platter, yoghurt and cheese and crackers on the side, followed by a standard plane brekkie of omelette, sausage and potatoes.
Is there inflight entertainment on Drukair?
While there are no inflight entertainment screens, Drukair provides free Wi-Fi to access their entertainment portal that has a small selection of English movies and TV shows (speeds were sufficient for a couple of eps of Big Bang Theory during mealtimes).
The real selling point of a Drukair flight to Bhutan
Bhutan’s Paro International Airport is known as one of the most challenging airports to fly in and out of. Technicalities aside, what passengers will most appreciate are the breathtaking views.
Experiencing the landing into Paro International Airport feels like you’re watching the breathtaking scene in a movie or documentary. Except you’re on an Airbus A319 (the largest plane that the Bhutan airport can accommodate) watching the ever-changing scenery unfold right before your eyes amidst the fluffy clouds. The plane weaves amazingly close to the mountains, sometimes so close you can even see the winding dirt roads along the cliffs of the mountains. It’s something you would only expect to see on a helicopter – that’s how close we got. It’s no wonder only a limited number of highly-trained pilots are qualified to fly this plane.
Pro tip: Sit on the left side of the plane and you’ll also be rewarded by the traditional architecture of the airport as you land.
In a nutshell
Drukair Business Class as a hard product is ample if you'd like more space on your flight (in many respects, it’s reminiscent of the ScootPlus offering). But truth be told, Economy Class is comfortable and had decent meal options. But, hey, at the end of the day, the real selling point of a Drukair flight is the breathtaking landing and the bragging rights you can claim to having experienced one of the most unique flights in the world.
Booking Chan Brothers Travel’s chartered flights to Bhutan
There are seven chartered flight dates scheduled for 2025 are in Dec, and 14 more planned in 2026. The number of Chan Brothers Travel’s chartered flights between Singapore and Bhutan has been upped after Chan Brothers in July signed a memorandum of understanding with DrukAir to commit to scheduling 30 chartered flights in 2025 and 2026. Travellers who may not be on group tours may also book the direct chartered flights through Chan Brothers Travel’s affiliates such as Chan’s World Holidays, or their network of wholesale agents and travel envoys. More info here
This trip was made possible by Chan Brothers Travel.
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