EDITORIAL: A matter of minutes across Bhutan now

Thimphu (Kuensel/ANN) - Not very long ago it took weeks, then days, now it may take less than an hour to get from one end of Bhutan to the other.

This will be possible once the domestic air services, which have been marred by delays mainly in the building of the airports in Bumthang and Gelephu, takes wing.

There has been much skepticism about the whole thing, starting with safety issues and whether there would be any users apart from tourists, but last week's successful test flight to Yongphula airport, in Trashigang, has raised hopes that air travel within the country may be possible after all.

As someone from Trashigang dzongkhag, who works and lives in Thimphu, put it, his village will soon be a few hours away, not a two-day drive from the capital. In fact, the longest part of the journey will probably be the drive to Paro from Thimphu, considering the flight to Bumthang is 15 minutes and 30 minutes to Yonphula.

While domestic services, at this stage, are looking at meeting emergency services and catering to tourists, who want to avoid the long road journeys to reach different festival spots of the country, the market from within is most likely to experience growth in the years to come.

For decisionmakers and businessmen, who are short of time, taking the flight may be more convenient. Even for government organisations taking the flight, in some instances, may be more economical than sending a pool vehicle with a driver plus TA/DA on a two-day road journey. Other professions working under tight deadlines could use the service to their advantage.

How it eventually works out will depend on how safe, reliable and affordable the service is. Safety is perhaps the key issue on the minds of those providing the service, those who are already thinking of using it, and the regulatory agencies. The terrain and weather conditions will pose challenges, as it does in neighbouring regions with the same landscape that have decades of experience.

Only a very small section of the Bhutanese population may be able to use the service in the initial years - only three places have airports and it may not be affordable to many. Which means the road network will continue to be the lifeline for the majority. But the possibility of getting to central and eastern Bhutan in minutes is a leap in time.