Yongphulla Airport

Yongphulla Airport (IATA: YON, ICAO: VQTY), also written Yonphula, is a domestic airport in eastern Bhutan, in Trashigang dzongkhag. It sits at an elevation of about 2,562 metres (8,405 feet) above sea level on a high ridge above the Trashigang valley, roughly 12 kilometres by road from Trashigang town. It is one of the operational airports in Bhutan alongside Paro International Airport and the airports at Bumthang and Gelephu.^[1]

Yongphulla is the principal aviation gateway to eastern Bhutan, serving the six dzongkhags of the east — Trashigang, Trashi Yangtse, Mongar, Pemagatshel, Lhuentse and Samdrup Jongkhar. Its altitude, short runway and gradient have made it one of the more difficult airports in South Asia to operate commercially, and it has been closed for extended periods for repair.

Origins

The airfield at Yongphulla was originally constructed in the 1960s by the Indian Border Roads Organisation as a military airstrip for the Royal Bhutan Army. The location was selected for its proximity to the Trashigang dzong area and the relative flatness of the ridge top compared with the steep valleys around. For four decades it was used principally for occasional military and emergency flights, and was largely unmaintained.^[1]

Conversion to civil aviation

In the early 2000s, as part of a programme to extend domestic air services to the east of the country, the airfield was renovated for civilian use. Work was completed and the airport inaugurated in December 2011, with Druk Air introducing scheduled domestic flights using the ATR 42-500 aircraft. The flights were intended to compress the long road journey between Paro and Trashigang, which can take two days by surface transport.

Within six months of opening the airport was closed for repairs to the runway. Drukair suspended operations citing safety concerns, including a hump in the runway surface and a 3.8% gradient that exceeded the 2% commercial-operations limit specified in the ATR aircraft manual. Budget constraints during initial construction were reported to have left only half the runway with full structural repairs.^[1]

The airport remained closed through 2013 for structural and resurfacing work, and for the establishment of fire-service cover. It reopened on 8 October 2017 after the runway had been upgraded to international standards and resurfaced. Domestic services resumed on a limited schedule.

Facilities

Yongphulla has a single asphalt runway designated 12/30 measuring approximately 1,266 metres (4,154 feet) long by 37 metres wide. The terminal is small, with a single arrivals/departures hall and limited ground-handling capacity. Fire and rescue cover, navigation aids and runway lighting were upgraded as part of the 2017 reopening. Weather closures are common during the eastern Bhutanese summer monsoon, when low cloud and turbulence are frequent.

The airport is operated by the Department of Air Transport, the Bhutanese civil aviation regulator and operator of the country's airports. Drukair operates the only scheduled commercial services from Yongphulla, with sectors connecting to Paro and, on certain rotations, to Bumthang.

Practical information

• IATA / ICAO: YON / VQTY
• Location: Yongphulla, Kanglung gewog, Trashigang dzongkhag, eastern Bhutan
• Elevation: 2,562 m (8,405 ft) above mean sea level
• Runway: 12/30, 1,266 m × 37 m, asphalt
• Operator: Department of Air Transport, Bhutan
• Scheduled airline: Drukair (ATR 42-500 domestic services)
• Surface access: Approximately 12 km by road to Trashigang town

References

1. Yongphulla Airport — Wikipedia
2. Druk Air — official website
3. Department of Air Transport — Bhutan
4. Yongphulla coverage — Kuensel
5. Yongphulla coverage — Bhutan Broadcasting Service
6. Yongphulla coverage — The Bhutanese