Bhutan Airlines (Tashi Air Ltd.), Bhutan’s first private airline, has announced plans to initiate flight operations between Paro International Airport and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates starting January 2024.
The airline has applied to operate a bi-weekly service from Paro to Sharjah, with a stopover in Dhaka. This proposed route aims to ease the journey to Bhutan for travellers in the west, especially those residing or transiting through the GCC region, significantly cutting down their overall travel time.
In other news, Bhutan Airlines has also partnered with World Ticket (W2), a GDS sub-hosting service, offering a virtual code-share arrangement that provides a global distribution and ticketing solution. This partnership makes Bhutan Airlines flights accessible and available for sale through a wide range of GDS channels and OTAs, including access to 180 billing and settlement plan (BSP) markets through W2.
Furthermore, Bhutan Airlines’ CEO, Pema Nadik, disclosed the signing of a bilateral interline ticketing agreement with Thai Airways in June 2023. Notably, the reservation systems of both airlines have been seamlessly integrated for bilateral Interline E-Ticket (IET), allowing Thai Airways and Bhutan Airlines to issue tickets for each other’s routes. The next step involves launching Inter Airline Through Check-in (IATCI) with Thai Airways, simplifying travel for passengers connecting to and from Bhutan.