09 Apr 2015
YANGON Air Mandalay expects to resume international flights by the end of this year, following a resumption of domestic routes scheduled for this May.
The airline’s chief operating officer, Kham Park Pha, told Irrawaddy media: “Scheduled domestic flights will resume, 1 May and we will resume international flights first to Chiang Mai, Thailand, at the end of this year.”
The airline flew a Chiang Mai-Yangon service until mid-2014, when it was forced to suspend flights.
The airline suspended all flights in December 2014 due to a failure to meet certain aviation requirements and a delay in taking delivery of new planes. Charter flights to some domestic destinations resumed last month.
Inside no.2Air Mandalay is 70% privately owned, with the government holding a 30% stake. The carrier recently purchased two Embraer ERJ 145 jets to serve domestic routes including Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Thandwe, Heho, Tachileik, Dawei, Sittwe, Kyaungtong and Nyaung Oo from 1 May.
Air Mandalay also signed an aircraft purchase agreement last year with Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation for five planes.
Air Mandalay Limited was incorporated in 1994 to operate as the country’s first privately owned airline, based in Yangon.
Currently, only two domestic airlines fly international routes: state-owned Myanmar Airways International and Golden Myanmar Airlines.
sourced:traveldailynews.asia