The national flag carrier Drukair was conferred the Druk Thuksey (Heart Son of the Thunder Dragon) Medal on the 114th National Day on 17th December, 2021. How they became eligible for the much coveted award has been explained thus:
“The Druk Thuksey has been conferred to Drukair in recognition of its exceptional service to the Nation for over 40 years, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic by operating numerous repatriation flights and transporting essential medical supplies and vaccines.”
I am glad that they have been recognized for their service during the CONVID-19 pandemic. That is the thing about tragedies - not all tragedies are bad - for some it is an opportunity to shine and excel.
Flying high on the wings of Druk Thuksey Medal
I congratulated the CEO of the airline as follows:
My plea to the Drukair to get out of DHI
Recognitions and awards impose a different level of responsibilities and obligations. I hope the Drukair management realizes that for them it is no time for resting on their laurels – it is time for introspection.
Drukair has a responsibility to the nation. They are among the single largest spoke in the wheel of tourism. I have said this before – and I am saying it again – as the country’s national flag carrier, they have a different set of responsibilities. It transcends profit making. It is for this reason that I have time and again encouraged the Druk Air management to delink themselves from the DHI.
The Drukair was not created as a profit making enterprise – they were created to fulfill two principle objectives – as a symbol of Bhutan’s independent nationhood and as a catalyst with a social mandate to complement and supplement other sectors that will come to depend on it for efficiency and progress.
I have given many reasons why Drukair has to be delinked from the DHI – a conglomerate with profit at the core of its existence. When a social enterprise’s focus shifts to profit making rather than fulfilling a national objective, we are all in trouble. Please read my following thoughts grouped under “On The Wings of The Dragon” behind my push to delink the Drukair from the DHI:
As you can see, if the Drukair is making profit – it is doing so at the cost of the nation and the tourism industry. The Drukair can be even more efficient and meaningful, if they are allowed to unshackle themselves from the yoke of DHI. Tourism will see a quantum jump – and that is something we need when tourism reopens – whenever that is likely to happen.
Until now Drukair has been a major stumbling block on the path of Bhutan's tourism industry. It need not be so - it has the potential to contribute to the country's most vital industry's growth and buoyancy. Now more than ever, the tourism industry needs Drukair.
Instead of getting together every once in a while to try and dismantle the time tested MDPR, the tourism stakeholders should get together and request the government to rationalize the Drukair's fares.
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