With booming tourism figures, Myanmar’s international carrier Myanmar Airways International (MAI) is on track for a successful year 2012. The airline plans to open new routes with the delivery of two aircraft.
YANGON- If it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a bed room in a hotel in Myanmar, there is however no shortage of air capacity to the country. With tourist arrivals booming, international airlines are now looking again at serving Myanmar. They were recent announcements of ANA, Condor and Qatar Airways arriving to Yangon for the beginning of the IATA winter season. But also local carrier Myanmar Airways International (MAI) is also looking to expand its capacities. “The arrival of two brand new aircraft Airbus A320 in our fleet this winter will give us the capacity to expand our network and frequencies,” explains Aye Mra Tha, the airline’s marketing and public relations representative.
Additional frequencies will be offered from Yangon to Cambodia with three weekly departures instead of two on the Yangon- Siem Reap-Phnom Penh route. The carrier will also reopen its flights to Gaya in India with four weekly frequencies. But the biggest announcement is the launching of a daily flight between Bangkok and Mandalay, Myanmar former Royal Capital and today the second largest city in the country. “There is a huge demand from international travellers and also from locals who do not want to go necessarily through Yangon to connect”, says Mrs. Mra Tha. The new route might also provide more flexibility for tour operators who will be able to combine a Bangkok-Yangon-Mandalay-Bangkok circuit. There is no official date announced but the airline expects to start at best by the end of the year or in the worst scenario by early next year.
They are no plans for new routes opening although the carrier currently conducts a study on the possible opening of frequencies to Hong Kong. MAI is also looking at offering better domestic connections. MAI’s owner is the KBZ Bank, which also owns the country’s regional carrier Air KBZ. However, none of Myanmar’s domestic air carriers currently have a IATA license. Due to that problem, ticket issue including connections is impossible. “We expect that the problem will soon be solved, as Myanmar enters a phase of normalization. Then we will provide connectivity and through-air fares for travellers,” adds Mrs. Mra Tha. MAI is so far the only Myanmar carrier offering ticket sale and payment online on its website.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
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