The Department of Civil Aviation, or DCA, is a department of the

Royal Government of Bhutan The Government of Bhutan has been a constitutional monarchy since 18 July 2008. The King of Bhutan is the head of state. The executive power is exercised by the Lhengye Zhungtshog, or council of ministers, headed by the Prime Minister. Legislat ...

. The department is responsible for regulating aviation safety, airport regulation and providing air navigation services. It is subordinate to the

Ministry of Information and Communications A Communications Ministry or Department of Communications is a ministry or other government agency charged with communication. Communications responsibilities includes regulating telecommunications, postal services, broadcasting and print media. T ...

and has its head office in Paro. The department is empowered to carry out its functions under the Kingdom of Bhutan Civil Aviation Act 2000.Kingdom of Bhutan
The Civil Aviation Act 2000
() Retrieved 20 March 2012.

History

Aircraft have been operating in Bhutan since 1968. It was not until 1983 that Bhutan's national airline,

Druk Air Drukair Corporation Limited ( dz, འབྲུག་མཁའ་འགྲུལ་ལས་འཛིན།), operating as Drukair — Royal Bhutan Airlines, is the flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bhutan, headquartered in the western dzongkha ...

, established a unit to look after civil aviation matters. In order to comply with international requirements to have an independent aviation safety authority, the Department of Civil Aviation was established in January 1986. As a newly established agency, the department sought assistance from the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations Development Programme. These agencies provided assistance with staff training and organizational capacity building. Over time, the DCA's function has expanded; it is now responsible for the development and management of airports, the delivery of airport services and the provision of air navigation services.

References

External links

Department of Civil Aviation of Bhutan

Aviation organisations based in Bhutan Bhutan 1986 establishments in Bhutan Ministries established in 1986 Civil aviation in Bhutan {{Bhutan-stub