Airbus A319-115 parked at the airport terminal at Paro Airport in 2006 In 1968, the
Indian Border Roads Organisation built an
airstrip in the
Paro valley, which was initially used for on-call
helicopter operations by the
Indian Armed Forces on behalf of the
Royal Government of Bhutan. Bhutan's first airline,
Drukair, was established by
Royal Charter on 5 April 1981. Paro Airport is deep in a valley
above mean sea level and is surrounded by
mountains as high as . The airport was constructed with a
runway, giving the Bhutanese government specific requirements for a choice of aircraft to be operated from Paro. They required an 18–20 seat
STOL-capable aircraft with operating capabilities which included a high
service ceiling, high
rate of climb and high manoeuvrability. The major requirement for the aircraft was that it must be capable of flying
KolkataParoKolkata, a round-trip, without refuelling, due to minimal
infrastructure availability at Paro. Three aircraft types were considered after
flight tests that had been conducted in India and Bhutan between 1978 and 1980; however, none was deemed suitable. Before the establishment of the
Department of Civil Aviation in January 1986, Drukair was also responsible for the operation and maintenance of the airport's infrastructure. In 1990, the runway at Paro Airport was lengthened from and reinforced for heavier aircraft. A
hangar was constructed for the aircraft, which was funded by the Indian government as part of the Paro Airport Development Project. On 21 November 1988, Drukair's first jet, a
BAe 146-100, was delivered to Paro Airport. In 2003, Drukair was seeking a replacement for the BAe 146 and on 19 October 2004 the airline's first
Airbus A319-100 arrived in Paro.
Buddha Air became the first international airline to operate charters to Paro in August 2010.
Tashi Air, Bhutan's first private airline, was started in December 2011. In 2012, it was reported that 181,659 passengers used the airport. By 2018, this number had grown to 397,599 and 6,761 flights were handled by the airport. The airport got 4 new structures: modified departure terminal building, cargo building, the relocated substation, and a parallel taxiway. ==Facilities==