Druk Air: Bhutan and Singapore will establish an air services agreement

Bhutan and Singapore will establish an air services agreement (ASA) next week, according to the department of civil aviation (DCA).

The agreement will allow national airline, Drukair and upcoming private airline, Tashi Air, the rights to fly to Singapore. A civil aviation team from Singapore will arrive in the country today to work out technical details of the ASA, prior to a final agreement on Wednesday.

Drukair plans to operate to Singapore twice a week from March next year, according to the airline’s commercial manager, Tshering Penjor. But he said that this would also depend on when Drukair is able to acquire a third airbus jet. Drukair will also have the rights to operate to Singapore through Kolkata, India and Dhaka, Bangladesh.

A representative for Tashi Air said that its international destinations will only be worked out once the airline’s domestic obligations are fulfilled. The private airline’s aircraft is expected to arrive in the first week of October.

DCA director general, Phala Dorji, pointed out that an added benefit to an ASA with Singapore would be obtaining training opportunities for Bhutanese aviation officials.

The aviation sector is a key component of the Singaporean economy, and its civil aviation authority is also major provider of training for international aviation management personnel. Bhutanese airlines will also be able to use Singapore for its high level of aircraft maintenance and repair services. “This will go a long way in terms of benefits,” said Phala Dorji. The director general also pointed out that Singapore had initiated the ASA.

Bhutan now has ASAs with seven countries: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and now, Singapore. Phala Dorji said that DCA is under instructions to establish as many ASAs as possible. He said that DCA is currently focused on establishing ASAs with all SAARC countries. Bhutan does not have ASAs with Pakistan and Afghanistan. He added that Qatar had recently expressed interest in establishing an ASA with Bhutan.

While ASAs can be established, it is up to airlines whether a route will be formed and operated. Drukair does not operate to the Maldives and has discontinued its Myanmar stopovers. Drukair is currently focused on expanding its services to and within India, where domestic passenger traffic is growing at a rapid pace. Passenger traffic between Paro and India increased 26 percent in 2010. The international air transport association (IATA) ranked India’s domestic passenger traffic growth second (14 percent) globally for the month of June. Drukair is considering establishing routes to the cities of Bangalore and Mumbai.

The national airline is also looking at establishing a Hong Kong, China route.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan His Majesty the King advised the graduates

His Majesty the King advised the graduates who were attending the annual graduate’s orientation programme not be complacent.

Speaking at the closing ceremony yesterday, His Majesty said “there are so many graduates. I know that most of you will know the importance of working hard. So to the few of you, who might feel that being graduates, everything will happen for you, I must warn you. You will be left behind.”

His Majesty also spoke about the importance of preserving the age old traditions.

“Fundamental to the strength and beauty of our nation is our cultural heritage – our traditions and customs – the bond between children and their parents, teachers and elders. The trust and faith among friends, neighbours and the community,” His Majesty said.

“You must also know the difference between good and evil, between right and wrong, between compassion and self-interest.”

His Majesty said the Kingdom’s age old traditions will ensure that the graduates, as they pursue their individual goals and ambitions, will do so in harmony with others. It will ensure that individual successes will build a strong, united and harmonious nation.

His Majesty was accompanied by the Queen-to-be, Jetsun Pema.

Bhutan His Majesty the King advised the graduates

His Majesty the King advised the graduates who were attending the annual graduate’s orientation programme not be complacent.

Speaking at the closing ceremony yesterday, His Majesty said “there are so many graduates. I know that most of you will know the importance of working hard. So to the few of you, who might feel that being graduates, everything will happen for you, I must warn you. You will be left behind.”

His Majesty also spoke about the importance of preserving the age old traditions.

“Fundamental to the strength and beauty of our nation is our cultural heritage – our traditions and customs – the bond between children and their parents, teachers and elders. The trust and faith among friends, neighbours and the community,” His Majesty said.

“You must also know the difference between good and evil, between right and wrong, between compassion and self-interest.”

His Majesty said the Kingdom’s age old traditions will ensure that the graduates, as they pursue their individual goals and ambitions, will do so in harmony with others. It will ensure that individual successes will build a strong, united and harmonious nation.

His Majesty was accompanied by the Queen-to-be, Jetsun Pema.

Bhutan royal wedding book of congratulations

The Bhutan Media Foundation has come up with a royal wedding book of congratulations which will be presented to the royal couple soon after the royal wedding.

The book will be a collection of art, poems, and simple heartfelt messages dedicated to the royal couple. More than 1,500 messages have been received so far. Every day, a few people are coming forward to pen their thoughts and express their good wishes.

On the day BBS visited the office of the Bhutan Media Foundation, 32-year-old Dhendup Tshering who works in a travel agency had come to submit a poem for the royal couple.

Tashi Pelyang Lhendup, a Dratshang Lhengtshog employee, had come to “express my appreciation to His Majesty for what he is doing for us and the country at large. I am not much of a talker so I wanted to express my regards in writing.”

For Dechen Choki, a house wife, the occasion is an “opportunity to express my gratitude for the royal wedding and wish the royal couple the very best.”

The Bhutan Media Foundation came up with the book to provide a platform for the people to express their gratitude and best wishes.

Lily Wangchuk, the Executive Director Bhutan Media Foundation, said “we have received very good response from the people and I think most people have still not heard about it.”

Only a limited edition of the book will be published. The original copies of the messages will also be presented to His Majesty the King and the Queen.

People can send their messages till Friday.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan national airline’s ATR 42-500 aircraft grounded of technical problems

Despite conducting a three-day rimdro or prayer ceremony for its aircraft last week, the national airline’s ATR aircraft is once again grounded as a result of technical problems.

The 48-seater twin turbo propellor ATR 42-500 aircraft has been grounded since Wednesday and is expected to remain grounded until Sunday. The airline’s officiating CEO, Rinzin Dorji said that the date for the aircraft’s reintroduction into scheduled services is “tentative”.

Drukair general manager, engineering section, Thrimchong Wangdi, explained that the de-icing boot on one of the aircraft’s wing was “ruptured” and non-functioning. The de-icing boot is a rubber device located on the front surface edge of the ATR’s wings to allow for mechanical de-icing. The front surface edge of an aircraft’s wing is one area most likely to accumulate ice during flight. Ice on an aircraft’s wing can cause disruptions in airflow, leading to loss of lift or control.

According to a source, the non-functioning de-icing boot was discovered mid-air while the aircraft was flying from Kathmandu to Paro.

Drukair management and engineering downplayed the risks of such an incident.

Thrimchong Wangdi pointed out that the ATR is equipped with “2-3” redundancy measures or back up systems, in case a de-icing boot fails. “From that perspective, it’s not a very serious concern.”

This is at least the fourth grounding of the ATR aircraft since it joined the Drukair fleet in June. The induction itself was delayed by about two weeks. Two groundings were required to prevent the aircraft’s only two pilots from exceeding the accepted number of flight hours in July. A damaged wheel bearing, which required the entire landing gear assembly to be shipped to and repaired in Singapore, grounded it early this month for about two weeks.

On why Drukair has hired only two pilots, Rinzin Dorji attributed costs.

“It’s very, very expensive,” he said, on hiring pilots from abroad. Two international pilots, and two engineers have been hired with the aircraft.

The captain’s salary is about USD 10,000/month, according to Rinzin Dorji, while the engineers are paid about USD 7000/month. He pointed out that Bhutanese pilots are in the “pipeline”.

The technical problems have caused some observers to raise safety concerns with regard to the aircraft’s age. The department of civil aviation only last week said it had no concerns regarding the safety of the ATR. Drukair officiating CEO also emphasised that the ATR is in “good condition” and that thorough examinations of the aircraft had carried out before leasing it.

The ATR, which has been leased for one year, with a purchase option at the end of the term, is nine years old. It was previously operated by the French Polynesian government as a VIP aircraft, and by a domestic airline, Air Tahiti.

During its service there, the aircraft did not experience any major technical issues, according to sources. The French Polynesian government sold the aircraft for financial purposes, not because of technical problems, according to the chief of staff at the French Polynesia vice-presidency, Moetai Brotherson. “It has gone through a thorough technical expertise,” he said in an email interview. A member of the Polynesian press confirmed this.

The French Polynesian government sold the ATR to an aircraft maintenance company, Mk Tek Europe for USD 8.6 M. Drukair then leased/purchased the ATR from this company for about USD 9.8M, according to Rinzin Dorji. He pointed out that this amount was an estimation as he did not have the figures immediately.

Meanwhile, spare parts for the ATR had to be ordered from Copenhagen, Denmark, and are due to arrive today.

Source: Kuenselonline