Bhutan is a land-locked country and relies on the Kolkata Port in India for handling practically all of its sea freight imports. Since the port of Kolkata is located some 700 km away from Bhutan, a detailed assessment was not possible, and the information for this LCA has been based on the Nepal LCA (conducted in 2016). The Kolkata Port Trust manages two separate dock agglomerations - the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) and the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC). 

The Royal Government of Bhutan (RGOB) plans to construct one (mini-) dry port at Phuentsholing. The dry port is expected to be ready for operation by end 2019. This dry port is one of the three South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) project components with the Phuentsholing Thromde (Municipality). The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is funding the project with a grant. Once the mini-dry port is operational, congestion at the current customs clearing space is expected to be eased as most trucks will then be diverted to the dry port. Traffic congestion in Phuentsholing town is also expected to be lessened. With the dry port ready, a cargo area that will be able to accommodate more than 45 trucks would be in place. Sufficient space for customs clearance and other works related to import and export will also be available. The dry port will be connected via the second gate from the Bau Bazaar area in Jaigaon, which is expected to be ready soon. A bypass dubbed the Northern Bypass will also be constructed through the port.

Key airport information may also be found at: http://worldaerodata.com/

Bhutan has only one international Airport at Paro and three domestic airports (Bumthang, Gelephu and Yonphula). Out of these three, only Bumthang domestic airport is presently operating and the other two are being improved and are likely functional from August 2017 onwards. There are two airlines, Drukair and Bhutan Airlines operating international and one airline, Drukair, operating domestic. The international airport in Badgora, India is also near in travel time to Phuentsholing. 

The Bhutan Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) regulates the overall aviation sector in Bhutan and the Department of Air Transport (DOAT) oversees the day to day operation.  Bhutan Air Services (BAS) is the authorized private clearing agent responsible for assisting and co-coordinating in cleaning all the private Aircraft’s and Helicopters flying in and out of Bhutan.

Current planned enhancement of Paro International Airport include the construction of a parallel taxiway, modification of the departure terminal, construction of the an cargo terminal and construction of additional apron.

For more information on government agency and airport company contact information, please see the following links:

4.5 Bhutan Airport Companies Contact List

4.1 Bhutan Government Contact List

Procedures for Foreign Registered Aircraft

Any foreign registered aircraft, other than aircraft operating on scheduled commercial flights to Bhutan entering into Bhutan airspace, shall seek prior permission of the Bhutan Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA). BCAA has appointed, Bhutan Air Service (BAS), an authorized private clearing agent who deals with the foreign aircraft and the documentation issues.

Application (how and where to obtain it): Application for landing clearance needs to be filed at least 10 days before the scheduled flight. All applications need to be routed through BAS. A copy of the application form is attached to this LCA and it can be obtained by emailing to bhutanair@yahoo.com or bhutanair@hotmail.com  or fax 00975-2-324918 (Thimphu, Head Office) 00975-8-272053 (branch office, Paro International Airport). It is to be noted that BCAA doesn’t entertain direct application to them and all application needs to be channelled through BAS.

Registration and Safety Requirements: Copy of certificate of airworthiness and registration need to be submitted to BAS along with the application. Paro International Airport is a Category ‘C’ day VFR operations. Therefore, having a navigator from Druk Air or Bhutan Airlines to assist to fly the aircraft into Paro International Airport is the requirement.  The Navigator will be arranged by Bhutan Air Service. Due to wind curfew in the afternoon, it is always advisable to plan landing into Paro Airport (VQPR) before noon.

Operator, Aircraft and Crew Documentation: following documents are required at the time of filing the application.

• Details of the aircraft, registration/serial number and type of aircraft.
• Crew passport (clear original scanned  copy) for visa processing      
• Valid Copy of both Pilots License & Medical certificates and last page logbook copy of PIC
• A copy of the Certificate of Insurance for the Aircraft and all its occupants
• Certificate  of Airworthiness and Registration copy

Other comments such as process timeline, common issues, etc.: Process timeline normally takes 6-8 working days. Fuel Jet A1 is available and the price is approximately USD 0.75 per liter (subject to change) and requires to be paid in cash (USD) for all foreign registered aircraft. All payment advisable in cash due to non-availability of credit card facilities, however an operator can also wire transfer the payment. Flight cancellation charge USD 600.00 is applicable if the flight is cancelled less than 05 days prior to arrival OR after permit approval.

Overview

The Department of Roads (DoR), under Ministry of Works and Human Settlement is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the road network in the country. As Bhutan is a landlocked country, road transport is the dominant mode of transportation for passengers and freight within the country and to the neighbouring states (Assam and West Bengal) of India. At present, Bhutan has a total of 12,000 km of motorable roads. The Border Roads Organization (BRO) under project DANTAK, a subdivision of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers, has been operating in Bhutan since May 1961. Since then Project DANTAK has been responsible for the construction and maintenance of over 680 km of roads and bridges, Paro Airport and the airfield at Yangphula, heliports and other infrastructure. While these serve India's strategic defence needs, they are also an obvious economic benefit for the people of Bhutan

Out of the total road network of around 12,000 km, which are composed of the 2,000 km of primary national highways, 650 km of secondary national highways, 350 km of Thromde (a third-level administrative division in Bhutan similar to a municipality under a Mayor) roads and remaining as farm, feeder and access roads. Some 2,500 km of roads are under DoR, about 680 km under Project Dantak, and the balance of remaining roads are under municipal (Thromde), Dzongkhag (national  administration districts) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forest (MoAF).

The Department of Roads (DoR) carries out road routine maintenance works through using national workforce dedicated for the purpose. The approach adopted for the execution of routine maintenance is input based where a fixed number of workforces are dedicated for the maintenance of a given section of the road using a maintenance work norm of 1 workforce per 1 km for national highway, 1 workforce per 1.5 km for district road and 1 workforce per 2 km for feeder road.

Due to its mountainous terrain and fragile topography, roads in Bhutan often get blocked by landslides and mud slides especially during the monsoon season that spans from May to August. Most of the roads are narrow, except some primary highways that are double lane, and large vehicles and trailers cannot pass through.  Sea containers are offloaded at the border town, Phuentsholing and cargo transhipped into smaller trucks for further transportation to the interior of the country.

Except for Thimphu-Phuentsholing, Paro-Thimphu and Thimphu-Wangduephodrang primary national highways, all other roads are only single lane. DoR with assistance from the Government of India and other donors is presently expanding the east–west and Samdrupjongkhar-Trashigang highways. Bypasses are also being constructed at a number of places to shorten the distance of highways. Notable bypasses include:

a)      Damchu-Chukha bypass which will reduce the distance between Thimphu and Phuentsholing by around 19 km.

b)       Chumey-Ura bypass

c)       Wangdigang-Tingtibi bypass.

 For more information on government contact details, please see the following link:

4.1 Bhutan Government Contact List

Distance Matrix

* Route through Indian road.

Road Security 

Generally, there are no security threats related to roads within Bhutan; however roads that pass through Indian borders, especially through the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal can sometimes pose security threats due to demonstrations and strikes. Between 2003-2008, the Government of India used to provide military escort to all Bhutanese vehicles plying these roads due to security threats from ULFA and BODO militants. These escorts were in use up to around 2013, though their use has been reduced or stopped due to the reduction of the threat. 

The Royal Government of Bhutan has accorded high priority to safety, reliability and efficiency of the road transport system; the  existing highways are being widened to allow two vehicles (at least one heavy and one light) to cross each other, safety measures such as crash barriers and reflectors are being installed along accident prone sections of various highways, and sections of existing highways are being realigned to shorten the travel distance and also to avoid landslide prone areas. Existing highway bridges are also being strengthened and replaced with permanent steel or reinforced concrete bridges. DoR has placed machines at strategic locations to clear the road in case of blocks due to landslides and mudslides.

However, general road conditions beyond national highways are poor, and emergency services generally are not available.  Because of the mountainous terrain, roads tend to have steep drop-offs and blind curves.

Weighbridges and Axle Load Limits

Department of Revenue and Customs, under the Ministry of Finance operates weighbridges at the border towns. Weighbridges are located at Phuentsholing, Gelephu, Samdrup Jongkhar and Gomtu. There are no privately owned weighbridges in the country. All trucks carrying goods to Bhutan have to be checked at these weighbridges and get at report. These reports are checked and analysed by the Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA). Load limits for various kinds of trucks are mentioned below.

Road Class and Surface Conditions

INSERT RELEVANT maps (as needed) from the WFP GIS Team. 

Bhutan has no railway system and it is highly unlikely that any railways system would be constructed in Bhutan due to the highly mountainous nature of the topography and instability of the terrain due to frequent mud slides and the risks of earthquakes.

There are proposals to link the Indian railway network from Hasimara to Phuentsholing – a distance of some 17 km – though this is not expected to materialise in the near future.

The river system throughout the country is so fast flowing that there is no possibility of using the rivers for transport of food or non-food items during a crisis.

The rivers (excepting the Manas and Lhobhrak) flow from the side of the Great Himalayas through the narrow defiles at the foot of the mountains, emerging into the Duar and eventually draining into the Brahmaputra River. 

There are no flood problems in the mountain regions but serious threats of floods exist in the plains, although the alluvium makes the soil there fertile.

The total length of rivers, with their tributaries, in Bhutan is about 7,200 km. The principal rivers are, from west to east: Amo Chu or Torsa, Wong Chu or Raidak, Mo Chu or Sankosh and Manas.

Overview

The Food Corporation of Bhutan Ltd. (FCBL) has the largest network of warehouses throughout the country. It has 47 warehouses and transit stores across 20 districts of Bhutan with total storage capacity of 19,000 MT. Furthermore, it has currently 119 farm shops, each with minimum storage capacity of 5 mt, located in the remote corners of country, which can be used as mini storage if needed. There is a plan to expand to a total of 205 farm shops across the country. Although some of the warehouses are not up to standard, in terms of storage of food items, WFP considers that Bhutan has adequate capacity.

On the flipside, there are no identified warehouses for storage of non-food items except for very few district and central stores. Furthermore, there are not many commercial storage facilities available in Bhutan. During emergencies, one possibility could to use school auditoriums as warehouses since schools are located in each and every districts and sub-districts and furthermore, during emergencies, classes might be empty and thus could be converted into temporary emergency stores. This is however not a preferred option as it would delay the return to normal functioning of schools for their education roles.

FCBL maintains the "National Food Security Reserve” held in strategic warehouses throughout the country. This was established originally with assistance from WFP in 1991. The food stock consists of some 1,400 mt of rice, 200 mt of sugar and 58 mtof cooking oil.  The table below provides the locations where these reserves are held. However, considering the population growth, the CEO of FCBL projects that Bhutan presently might require around 4,150 mt (3,500 mt Rice, 300 mt Oil, 250 mt Sugar and 100 mt Salt) to provide for the needs of some 12 percent (poverty index based on 2012 figures) of the population for three months. The distribution across the country might also need a review once the data of the latest sensus are available.

National Food Security Reserve Stock Level 

 For more information on storage company contact details, please see the following link:

4.6 Bhutan Storage and Milling Companies Contact List

Commercial Storage 

Commercial storage facilities are almost non-existent in Bhutan except a handful of them located in Phuentsholing. Notable commercial storage are as follows:

[1] Warehouse Type: Open storage, container, rub-hall, silo, concrete, other, unspecified

[2] Warehouse Access: Raised-siding, flat

[3] Warehouse condition: Appears intact, appears damaged, under construction/repair

Storage Used by Humanitarian Organizations

The World Food Programme Country Office in Bhutan uses the Food Corporation of Bhutan Ltd (FCBL) warehouses to store its food and non-food items. FCBL has three main warehouses at Phuentsholing, Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar and many other transit warehouses all over Bhutan. FCBL is amenable when it comes to sharing the warehouse space with other humanitarian agencies provided they get prior approval from their management. The table below shows various warehouses used by WFP and UNICEF.

[1] Warehouse Type: Open storage, container, rub-hall, silo, concrete, other, unspecified

[2] Warehouse Access: Raised-siding, flat

[3] Warehouse condition: Appears intact, appears damaged, under construction/repair

Public Sector Storage

Most of public warehouses in Bhutan are those owned by the Food Corporation of Bhutan Ltd. The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education have some central stores located in a few places to store essential school stationery and medicines, but they are very few in number and grossly inadequate. The Department of Disaster Management (DDM), with assistance from UNICEF have issued some emergency kits to all the districts which are stored, in small rooms, at the respective district headquarters. The table below provides the details of various public warehouses.

[1] Warehouse Type: Open storage, container, rub-hall, silo, concrete, other, unspecified

[2] Warehouse Access: Raised-siding, flat

[3] Warehouse condition: Appears intact, appears damaged, under construction/repair

Cold Chain

Currently WHO and UNICEF do not have cold chain storage facilities in Bhutan. However, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has a limited cold chain network across the country for storage of essential vaccines and medicines. FCBL on the other hand has three cold chain networks located at Phuentsholing, Samdrup Jongkhar and Thimphu with total storage capacity of 550 MT. The table below provides the details of cold storage facilities within the country:

[1] Cold Room Positive, Cold Room Negative, Refrigerator, Freezer,

[2] Compression, Absorption, Solar, Other, unspecified

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.

There are only a limited number of milling facilities in Bhutan and during the gathering of information for this LCA, only two facilities were visited. Both these facilities have limited production.

The facility at Chuzargang is in an isolated location only reachable by non-sealed road in the Sarpang district. The second facility was at a central location in Phuentsholing.

4.6 Bhutan Storage and Milling Companies Contact List

Milling Company Chuzargang Rice Mill

Milling Company CHHARU TSHONGDEL Rice Mill

CHHARU TSHONGDEL Rice Mill is located around 2 km from the centre of Phuentsholing town and is the country’s biggest milling company. It is owned as a partnership between by Ms. Dechen Pelden and Mr. Tashi Wangchuk and operated by Mr. Wangchuk as a managing partner. Daily milling capacity is 16 MT and monthly capacity averages 250 MT. The mill also fortifies rice for the WFP School Feeding Programme and in future plans to cater to RGOB school feeding.

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.