Interline partnership with Drukair. Photo: Air India Air India and Drukair, the national airline of Bhutan, have entered into a new interline partnership designed to make travel between India, Bhutan and international destinations more convenient.
The agreement allows passengers to combine flights operated by both airlines under a single ticket, making it easier to travel between the two networks without booking separate itineraries.
Passengers will also benefit from coordinated baggage handling and through transfers to their final destinations, with Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport serving as a key connection point. The airlines will offer interline fares, giving travelers additional flexibility when planning journeys between India and Bhutan and onward to other destinations.
Under the partnership, Air India passengers will gain easier access to Paro, Bhutan's main international gateway, through Delhi.
The agreement also creates onward connections from Paro to several destinations within Bhutan, including Bumthang, Gelephu and Yonphula.
For Air India, the partnership strengthens its connectivity across the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region. The airline said it now provides access to nearly all countries in the region through its own operations and partner networks.
The arrangement could make Bhutan more accessible to travelers coming from Air India's growing international network, eliminating the need to arrange separate tickets for different portions of the journey.
The partnership works in both directions.
Drukair passengers will be able to connect through Delhi, Guwahati and Kolkata to Air India's extensive domestic network.
Major Indian destinations available through the partnership include Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kochi, giving travelers from Bhutan more options for reaching cities across India.
The agreement also opens connections to a broad selection of international destinations served by Air India, including Paris Charles de Gaulle, Colombo, Newark, Frankfurt, New York JFK, London Heathrow, Melbourne, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto Pearson and Vancouver.
This provides Drukair customers with additional ways to reach major international markets through Air India's Indian hubs.
Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer of Air India, said the agreement reinforces the airline's focus on improving connectivity across the SAARC region, which it considers an extended home market.
He described Bhutan as an important part of the region and said Air India is looking forward to making travel to the country easier while welcoming Drukair passengers onto its wider domestic and international network.
Drukair CEO Tandi Wangchuk said the agreement represents an important step in the airline's efforts to expand global connectivity.
According to Wangchuk, the partnership will give Drukair customers more seamless journeys and improved access to international markets through India.