Jaigaon, March 5: Druk Air, the national air carrier of Bhutan, will include either 737-700 Boeing or 114-seater Airbus in its fleet within a year to offer better services to international tourists.

Speaking to reporters here today, Sonam Wangchuk, acting marketing sales manager and in-charge of customs, Druk Air, said: “The order will be placed within a week after the airline authorities take a final decision whether to opt for Boeing or Airbus. The operating costs of Boeing are not only low but the interiors of the aircraft are also well decorated. Boeing is also offering free training to our crew and better maintenance facilities.”

“The aeroplanes will be delivered within a year of placing the order. Once the new aircraft are delivered, we will take a decision on the sale of our current fleet,” the senior Druk Air official said.

“Bhutan gets a lot of visitors round the year because of her breathtaking natural beauty. Besides, there has been a spurt in religious tourism over the past few years thanks to the increase in the inflow of Buddhists from neighbouring southeast Asian countries,” Wangchuk said.

The airline operates weekly flights to Bangkok, Calcutta, Dhaka, Myanmar and Kathmandu from the Paro International Airport, located about 35 km from the capital, Thimphu.

There are five weekly flights between Paro and Bangkok. Druk Air operates thrice a week between Paro and Calcutta.

It also flies twice a week to Yangon, Dhaka and Kathmandu.

The Himalayan kingdom, a Shangri-La for curious Westerners, suffered a setback — like the rest of the tourist destinations in the world — after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) in 2001.

“We had to refund airfare to a lot of travellers, who had booked their seats well in advance, after the terror strikes on twin WTC towers. At a conservative estimate, we had to repay money to at least 50 per cent of the tourists, who were all set to visit Bhutan in 2001. The situation, however, improved marginally last year,” the official added.