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It’s a notoriously isolated Himalayan kingdom that shunned outsiders for hundreds of years in a bid to preserve its beauty.
Soon, that’s all about to change.
The mysterious and tiny hermit nation of Bhutan, located between China and India, has long been wary of the impact of tourism and placed limits on visitor numbers. However, the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, surprised the world when he gave the green light to the creation of a new international airport.
Located in the town of Gelephu on the Indian border, the new Gelephu International Airport is being designed by Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).
It’s part of a broader plan for the kingdom’s new Gelephu Mindfulness City, a 2500 km² special administrative region and economic hub.
“Our immediate priority over the next five years is the construction of a large international airport in Gelephu, which will establish the GMC (Gelephu Mindfulness City) as a key aviation hub,” King Jigme previously announced regarding the airport.
Construction of the airport officially began on July 8, 2025 and it is scheduled to open in 2029.
The airport has a planned capacity of 123 flights a day and it’s hoped it will make one of the world’s hardest to reach destinations easier to access for international travellers.
In turn, this could transform Bhutan.
“This airport is essential for the success of the CHM as a business hub, and it is also a critical lifeline for Bhutan’s national security, especially for a landlocked country.”
The airport will be capable of handling 1.3 million passengers a year by 2040, rising to 5.5 million by 2065.
The project’s anticipated cost is around Nu 20 billion (AUD$292 million).
Bhutan, which is among the least-developed countries in the world, had previously been closed to outsiders.
It wasn’t until 1974 when the Buddhist nation opened up to visitors, and it received 300 tourists under a “High Value, Low Volume” policy which featured strict booking rules in order to protect its cultural roots from mass tourism.
By 2019, that number had grown to 315,600, an increase of 15.1 per cent from the year prior.
Figures provided by the Department of Tourism, Bhutan show that a total of 9539 tourists visited Bhutan in February 2026, an increase of 3778 visitors compared with February 2025.
Indian tourists formed the largest group, followed by travellers from China, the United States, Vietnam, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
In the future, it’s expected this number will skyrocket.
Bhutan has remained cautious of the impact of mass tourism, including banning mountain climbing and implementing a $156 per night tourist fee in a bid to curb visitor numbers.
Bhutan currently one has a single airport, Paro, located in the west and it’s extremely challenging to fly into due to its mountainous terrain. Only two airlines fly to Paro; Drukair and Bhutan Airlines, and there’s just eight flights a day – often involving extended stopovers. The airport welcomed just 88,546 visitors in 2025.
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