Reports in early October that Bhutan's national carrier would fly direct to Israel caused a stir — first among excited travellers, then among critics at home. Within days, the airline shut the whole idea down.
The story began with a Jerusalem Post piece published on 4 October 2026, which announced five direct Druk Air flights between Bhutan and Israel in February and March 2027. The flights were to be chartered by Caminos, an Israeli travel company working with an Indian partner, and marketed as an exclusive seasonal route running until mid-March 2027, with a second project loosely pencilled in for late 2027.
The packages attached to those flights were pitched at the premium end: eight-day small-group tours capped at 16 travellers, staying in five-star hotels (or the best available in each region) on a full-board basis. The price was USD 5,395 per person based on double occupancy, and it bundled in visa fees and Bhutan's Sustainable Development Fee — the daily levy every visitor pays.
In Bhutan, the reaction was sharp. Some online commentary questioned why the country would launch a dedicated air link with Israel while the Gaza war continues, a conflict that has drawn international condemnation. Others assumed the flights signalled a formal new air corridor between the two countries.
Druk Air's Managing Director, Tandi Wangchuk, moved quickly to clarify. Yes, an agreement had been signed with Caminos — but the charter was always conditional on the Middle East security situation being stable enough. After a risk assessment, the airline concluded it was not, and the flights will not go ahead.
He also pushed back on the bigger assumption: Bhutan and Israel have no Air Service Agreement at all, so regular direct flights were never on the table. This was a one-off tour company charter, not an airline route launch. Wangchuk added that Druk Air has been cautious about the region for a while — its Dubai service, suspended since March 2026, has not resumed either. And Israeli visitors, he noted, already reach Bhutan through other routes without much trouble.
For travellers, the practical takeaway is straightforward: nothing changes. If you're planning Bhutan — from Israel or anywhere else — you'll still fly via hubs like Delhi, Kolkata, Bangkok or Kathmandu, either on Druk Air or its competitor Bhutan Airlines. The charter's cancellation says more about regional risk assessments than about Bhutan's openness to tourists. Interest in the country from Israeli travellers appears solid, and tour operators there continue to sell itineraries using existing connections. The five-star, small-group format marketed by Caminos may still happen — just without the dedicated aircraft.
