Drukair Commits To A320neo & A321XLR

Drukair, or Royal Bhutan Airlines, is the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bhutan and has committed to purchasing Airbus aircraft as part of its expansion efforts.

The five-aircraft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) marks the European planemaker’s first commitment on Day 1 of the 2024 Farnborough Airshow.

The airline has announced it’ll acquire 3 A320neos and 2 of the upcoming and most recently certified A321XLR jets.

The addition of the XLR is considered critical to boosting the airline’s international route network long into the future.

We are thrilled to embark on this new chapter in Drukair’s history, which dovetails perfectly with development of the Gelephu Mindfulness City and work to expand the Gelephu airport. Our investment in these state-of-the-art aircraft underscores our dedication to supporting Bhutan’s vision of holistic and mindful development.

Tandi Wangchuk, Drukair CEO

Despite an MoU coming at the 2024 Farnborough Airshow, the deliveries for these planes aren’t expected to begin for a considerable time. Drukair says the aircraft will start being delivered in 2030.

Once delivered, the aircraft can commence flying towards Europe, Southeast Asia, and, notably, Australia, which are the airline’s target markets.

As the airline’s focus is driving economic growth, adding these new planes to complement an existing fleet of A320ceo aircraft will be essential.

With a network of 10 international destinations spread across five countries and three domestic destinations, the carrier is genuinely charting a course for growth with this new agreement.

For Airbus, the latest MoU cements the critical role the A321neo series will have long into the future in offering airlines the best possible opportunities.

These ambitions have been reflected in Airbus’ successful attempts at pitching the series to airlines worldwide and the aircraft being its best-selling version in recent years of the family.