The Bhutanese Leading the way.
On the sunlit morning of July 8, 2025, amidst the rhythm of machinery and sacred chants, Bhutan witnessed the beginning of a journey that will outlast all of us. With His Majesty The King, Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen and Their Royal Highnesses standing shoulder to shoulder with Desuups and Gyalsups in Gelephu, the ground was broken not just for a physical airport, but for a generational leap in Bhutan’s destiny.
The Gelephu International Airport (GIA) is the physical embodiment of His Majesty’s vision for a transformed Bhutan. In a nation where connectivity has long been defined by terrain, weather, and isolation, the runway being built in Gelephu is more than infrastructure. It is a bridge from Bhutan to rest of the world and a bridge from the past into the future.
His Majesty’s words were both profound and clear: “We cannot be mere custodians… We are builders.” That message is not only for engineers or planners, but for every Bhutanese.
This project, like the vision of the Gelephu Mindfulness City it anchors, is driven by His Majesty’s unwavering belief that Bhutan’s greatest strength is its people, and their ability to build a future worthy of their ancestors and children.
Bhutan has never shied from difficult terrain, be it in our mountains or in our history, but what makes us who we are is the unity and purpose with which we face challenges. GIA, part of the larger GMC vision, is a daring step, but one guided by wisdom, deep thought and vision.
In a world often obsessed with quick wins, Bhutan chooses a harder but more meaningful path, one of mindful development, sustainability and ecological harmony. A 3,000-metre runway that pays homage to forest ecosystems, a solar-roofed terminal, and an airport that will someday welcome 1.5 million travelers, this is a Bhutan unafraid to dream big.
This is not just about planes landing. It is about dreams taking off. Jobs, skills, exports, tourism, innovation as these will all follow the jet stream of vision laid down in Paitha. But above all, it is about belief. Belief in ourselves, our King, and our collective future.
To the Bhutanese who gave up their land, to the volunteers moving earth today, to the youth who will inherit this runway, know this; you are not just building an airport. You are lifting a nation into flight.
“The best way to predict the future is to create it”
Peter Drucker