Drukair Corporation Limited (), operating as Drukair — Royal Bhutan Airlines, is the flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bhutan, headquartered in the western dzongkhag of Paro. Founded in 1981, ten years after Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck gradually began to open up the kingdom from self-imposed isolation, and seven years after welcoming its first foreign visitors, the airline commenced operations in 1983 with flights from Kolkata to Paro utilising Dornier 228 aircraft. A switch to BAe 146-100 equipment occurred in November 1988, and, in order to meet increased demand, those aircraft were replaced in 2004 with five Airbus A319s. Drukair operates a modest scheduled flight network within the South Asian and Southeast Asian region from its base at Paro Airport and currently serves thirteen destinations in six countries. The airline also owns a small fleet of four Airbus A320 family jets - three A319 and one A320neo - and one ATR 42 turboprop regional aircraft. History 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 for the Royal Government of Bhutan. After consideration by King Jigme Singye Wangchuck and the Tshogdu, Drukair was established by royal charter on 5 April 1981, ten years after the Druk Gyalpo, King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck gradually began to open up the Kingdom from self-imposed isolation, and seven years after welcoming its first foreign visitors. Paro Airport is located deep in a valley above sea level, and is surrounded by mountains as high as . At the time, the runway was in length, giving the Bhutanese government specific requirements for a choice of aircraft to be operated. 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 flight, without refuelling, due to minimal infrastructure being available at Paro for this purpose. Three different aircraft types were considered after flight tests in India and Bhutan between 1978 and 1980; however, none was deemed suitable. In mid-1981, the Indian government set up a committee to study its own requirements for a light transport aircraft. Based upon this competition, the Bhutanese government ordered one Dornier 228-200 for delivery in January 1983, with the option for a second aircraft