The domestic airline industry in Myanmar continues to expand.

THE domestic airline industry in Myanmar has continued to expand since Air Mandalay introduced its service 10 years ago. With the subsequent startup of Yangon Airways in 1996 and the launch of Air Bagan in 2004, travellers can now reach destinations throughout the country more easily than ever before.

Air Bagan added several new destinations to the list of domestic flight options, to areas that are still developing their tourism infrastructure. These include four flights a week to Myitkyina and Putao in Kachin State, and three flights a week to Myeik, Dawei and Kawthoung in Tanintharyi Division.

“Our airline flies the scheduled fights for the whole year, whether it’s high or low tourist season,” said Daw Pwint Mar Han, the airline’s assistant manager of sales and marketing.

Air Bagan is also the only airline that flies to Pathein, the gateway to Chaungtha and Ngwe Saung beaches. The flights are offered four times a week.
Other destinations served by the airline are Nyaung U (Bagan), Mandalay, Heho, Sittwe, Thandwe (Ngapali), Kengtung and Tachileik, plus charter service to Monywa, Ka-le and Homalin.

During the high season Yangon Airways expands its service to hot tourist destinations such as Mandalay, Nyaung U and Heho from two flights a day to four flights.

Low-season-only routes include Dawei, Myeik and Kawthoung. During the high season these flights are suspended and replaced with flights to Sittwe and Thandwe.

Also during the high season, when tourists tend to travel in circuits around the country, Yangon Airways flies direct from Nyaung U to Thandwe, and from Heho to Thandwe three times a week.

Yangon Airways also flies to Tachileik and Kengtong once a day year round, and provides charter service from Yangon to Dawei, Myeik and Kawthoung, and from Mandalay to Lashio, Bhamo, Ka-le, Myitkyina and Putao.

Air Mandalay has extended its low-season holiday packages for foreigners coming to Myanmar, to make them available throughout the upcoming high season. The packages from Chiang Mai or Bangkok to destinations such as Yangon, Mandalay and Heho include airfare and accommodation.

Air Mandalay flies year round from Yangon to Mandalay, Nyaung U, Sittwe and Heho.

During the high season it also offers daily flights from Yangon to Thandwe, Yangon to Sittwe, Mandalay to Thandwe via Nyaung U, and Heho to Thandwe via Nyaung U.