🇧🇹 Gelephu Airport

Gelephu Airport (IATA: GLU, ICAO: VQGP) is one of four airports in Bhutan, located in Samtenling Gewog, approximately 2 km from Gelephu town in Sarpang District,. It spans over 750 acres and has an elevation of 300.9 meters (987.204 feet) above mean sea level.

Type of facility and operations: The airport is a public facility operated by the Department of Air Transport. It was upgraded to international status on September 16, 2023. Currently, only VFR (Visual Flight Rules) operations are permitted, and flights are restricted to day operations in visual meteorological conditions (VMC) between sunrise and sunset. There are no radar facilities available.

Notable features or history: The airport was inaugurated in October 2012 and began regular operations on December 17, 2015. Initially, scheduled operations faced delays due to a lack of certification and funding issues. A brief period of flights in 2015 was found to be uneconomic, and regular flights recommenced in November 2017 with government financial support. The airport features a 1500-meter asphalt runway (11/29),. Due to runway slope requirements, aircraft are instructed to land on Runway 29 and depart from Runway 11.

Current status: Gelephu Airport is designated as an international airport. A new international airport is planned as part of the proposed Gelephu Special Administrative Region, with the existing domestic airport remaining operational. The Asian Development Bank masterplan has been selected for the new airport, which envisages a new 3,000-meter runway with an option to extend it to 3,500 meters in the future to accommodate larger aircraft like the Airbus A380. Drukair is scheduled to launch the first international flights from Gelephu to Kolkata, India, in December 2025.

*Sources researched: doat.gov.bt, en.wikipedia.org, centreforaviation.com, thebhutanese.bt*