As thousands of Bhutanese leave for study and work, Paro’s airport viewpoint has become one of the country’s most emotional spaces. Families gather on the hillside, watching planes roll toward the runway and holding phones for final words with loved ones. In the first six months of the 2024–2025 financial year, more than 2,500 Bhutanese were granted Australian visas, and behind each number is a farewell lived here on this hill.
Cars slowly gather at the viewpoint as people come to catch a final glimpse of loved ones. Some record the runway with their phones.
Others hold their phones to their ears, speaking softly to sons, daughters, and spouses already inside the terminal.
These are their last updates, last jokes, last ordinary words shared while still in the same country, before they are separated by thousands of kilometres.
“In one way, this is a place of smiles; people come here to welcome loved ones home or to watch planes land and take off. But it is also a sad place, because this is where we watch our loved ones leave. There are even cases where parents have to leave their infants behind,” said Lhakpa Duba.
The emotions on this hillside reflect a national trend. According to Australia’s Home Affairs Department, in the first six months of the 2024–25 financial year, 1,211 students and 1,451 dependents’ visas were granted to Bhutanese.
Among them, the largest group was young adults aged 20 to 29, who made up 1,387 of the total. According to the statistics, most of the people leaving for Australia are headed mainly to Perth.
For many, these numbers come alive every time they stand here at the viewpoint.
“Children leave to build a better future for themselves and to serve the nation one day. But as a parent, it is always painful to watch your children leave their elderly parents behind,” said Gyeltshen.
From the hillside, people try to catch a glimpse of their loved ones among the many boarding the plane. As the last passengers enter and the aircraft doors close, people watch the aircraft edge toward the runway, lights blinking, engines growing louder.
“They go with the hope of coming back someday to help their parents. I’ve come here many times after dropping people off at the airport, and I’ve seen elderly parents saying goodbye to their children from this viewpoint again and again. That is always heartbreaking,” added Gyeltshen.
As the plane finally lines up on the runway, some wave, some record and some cry.
And as the plane becomes a dot in the sky, people linger, then quietly get in their cars and leave. When the viewpoint eventually empties, another goodbye disappears into the sky
Karma Samten Wangda, Paro
Edited by Kipchu
