Flight – Bangkok to Paro Bhutan

Embrace Bhutan Cultural Tour

Bangkok, Thailand | Paro, Bhutan

07 Nov 2019 | Thu

Day 01 of 13

Flight | Bangkok to Paro Bhutan
Paro Airport Arrival
Meet Embrace Bhutan Tour Guides
Drive | Paro to Thimphu
Norkhil Boutique Hotel and Spa
Bhutanese Folk Performer Jigme Drukpa

Flight | Bangkok to Paro Bhutan

Delayed Flight

We were supposed to have a very early flight to Paro Bhutan (arrival to Paro at 7am) this morning but our group tour guides (Steve and Roger) got an early message from our Bhutanese tour guide that our flight was delayed due to bad weather/dense fog in Paro. The new scheduled flight would now be in the early afternoon.

Transport to Suvarnabhumi Airport

Now that there was not a rush to get to the airport we could take our time at breakfast. This also allowed the group to spend more time together – getting to know one another. After breakfast, we gathered our things and went down to the lobby to wait on our airport transportation. Our trip to Suvarnabhumi Airport went very smoothly and without any issues (which is something you never know about when it comes to Bangkok traffic!).

Flying with Druk Air

Our flight to Bhutan was with Druk Air, the national airline of Bhutan (‘Druk’ meaning Dragon). We were told that our flight time (Bangkok – Paro) would be around 3 hours and 15 minutes.

In clear weather, views of the country’s landscape and eastern Himalayan peaks, give way to Paro valley as we land. The remarkable and steep descent into the Paro valley is an awe-inspiring beginning to our adventure. The first thing that we will notice as we disembark in Bhutan is the absence of noise and a feeling of peacefulness that is rare in most other Asian cities. And cool, clean, fresh air as we step out of the plane.

– Embrace Bhutan Travel

With surrounding Himalayan peaks as high as 5,500 m (18,044.62 ft), the airport in Paro, Bhutan is considered one of the world’s most challenging and dangerous airports to fly into. Flights are only allowed during the daytime and under VFR (Visual Flight Rules) where pilots must make their flight judgments by eye rather than rely on instruments. It’s been reported that there are only a couple dozen pilots in the world who have the training and qualifications to land here. At 6,500 feet (1.98 km) long, the runway at Paro is actually shorter than its 7,300 ft (2,225.04 m) elevation.”

The following link details a pilot’s point of view about the challenges of flying into Paro International Airport (with some great pictures, diagrams, and videos)

Link: Flying Unstabilized Approaches Into One Of The World’s Most Challenging Airports

The last video at the bottom, “A View From The Hill” really shows what it’s like flying into Paro Airport – it’s awesome!

Flight and Landing at Paro International Airport

We had a wonderful flight to Paro, Bhutan. The landing definitely lived up to the hype! As you approach the airport the pilots have to fly in between narrow mountainous terrain. This was no problem – it was going around the last mountain that was the most fun! From what I’ve read online, the pilots use a particular red cliff-side home as a focal point to align their approach. Once they reach this point, the pilots make a sharp left-hand 45-degree angle bank while aligning themselves to the runway (feels like a sharp turn in a rollercoaster). Definitely the most exhilarating landing we’ve ever experienced!