Bathpalathang Airport guide

Bathpalathang Airport (ICAO: VQBT) is a domestic airfield serving Jakar, the main town of Bumthang District in central Bhutan. It is one of four airports in the country and sits in the Bumthang valley at about 2,700 m above sea level.

The airfield has a single asphalt runway, designated 14/32 and 1,200 m long. It has no night landing or bad-weather facilities, so flights run in daylight and mostly in the morning, before afternoon winds build. Drukair connects Bumthang with Paro and Yonphula. The same trip by road from Paro can take 10 to 12 hours.

The airport opened on 17 December 2011, after delays from soil instability and river diversion work. Operations stopped in July 2012 because of runway damage and later resumed at limited frequency. A redevelopment added an apron for two ATR aircraft, with a terminal planned as the next phase. The airport is operated by Bhutan's Department of Air Transport.