With the arrival of the second Airbus 319 on August 4 in Paro, the Bhutan Airlines now has a fleet of two aircraft.

Two Airbus 319 are on lease for four years.

Bhutan Airlines signed the lease agreement for two airbuses with AerCap, a global leader in aircraft leasing and aviation finance on September 28 in Thimphu last year.

Chief executive officer of the Bhutan Airlines, Phala Dorji, said that both the airplanes have 126 seats each. “Older ones were replaced to give confidence and provide passengers with a safe and comfortable experience of the flight.”

He said that seat numbers have increased and that both airplanes are about seven years old, which in the aviation world is as good as new.

The lease for the older planes ended last month. The airline leased the older aircraft from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) Aviation Capital in 2014.

Phala Dorji said that the older airplanes were about 15 years old.

The first Aibus 319 arrived earlier last month on June 23. The Airbuses are expected to operate starting today.

Currently, Bhutan Airlines operate flights to Bangkok in Thailand, Delhi and Calcutta in India, and Kathmandu in Nepal.

Staff Reporter