National Carrier Introduces New Route Myanmar Airways International Fly
Three Times a Week Direct to New Delhi

Information by UNITEAM T&T Head Office, Yangon, 2-April - 2004

The since 2000 operating Airline Myanmar Airways International (MAI), a joint venture between the Singapore-based Region Air and Myanmar Airways, under the Myanmar Ministry of Transport, has just launched a direct service between Yangon (capital of Myanmar/Burma) and New Delhi in India. The flights, operated with a Boeing 737-800 are scheduled to leave Yangon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and to leave New Delhi on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

MAI, which is flying directly to Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, just launched a service to Hong Kong in last December, and was encouraged by the increase of tourists arriving by air in Myanmar since the beginning of this year. MAI is even planning to introduce flights to Japan and South Korea early next year to follow up interests to visit Myanmar in these markets.

Also other airlines flying direct to Myanmar are thinking of increasing their flights. Silk Air, which began flying to Myanmar in 1990, firstly had a direct flight only two times a week. By now they are flying every day and are planning to increase the flights to nine in a week.

Malaysian Airlines with currently three flights a week directly from Kuala Lumpur is also thinking about an increase of flights. There are more Malaysians visiting Myanmar than other destination such as Vietnam or Australia was mentioned by an airline’s representative. Indian Airlines thinks that the improving business relationships between India and Myanmar, which will be helped by the new service of MAI, will at the end show up in more bookings on their own flights between Calcutta and Yangon and in the growth of demand Indian Airlines is thinking to increase their services to Myanmar as well.

To mention is that also Thai Airways had introduced a service from Chiang Mai to Yangon next to their twice-daily flights from Bangkok. This increased flights during the high season from Chiang Mai to Yangon to seven a week, three operated by the local carrier Air Mandalay and four operated by Thai Airways International.

There are also flight into Myanmar from Taipei with Mandarin Airlines, from Dhaka with Biman and Druk Airlines, from Kumming with Air China and China Eastern Airlines, from Paro with Druk Airlines, and one direct flight a week from Europe during the high season with Lauda Air from Vienna.

Even smaller Airlines in the region as Bangkok Airways and Phuket Airways are starting their services to Myanmar, over the last winter season Phuket Airways flown three times the week directly from Bangkok to Bagan and Bangkok Airways will start their twice-weekly service from Bangkok to Yangon by 1st May 2004.