Myanmar Airways Airlines

  About Myanmar Airways

Myanmar Airways International Co., Ltd., is an airline based out of Myanmar with its headquarters in Yangon. The airline is privately owned and predominantly operates international route destinations across Southeast Asia. Its main hub is at Yangon International Airport. Myanmar Airways International's official logo comprises a pyinsa rupa, a mythical animal which is made up of an elephant, horse, bullock, white carp and a lion. The airline came into existence in 1946 by the government of Burma and was called Union of Burma Airways. It was formed by the government to only cater to domestic route services. However, international route services were added to the airline in 1950. The airline functioned as Union of Burma Airways until 1972, post which they acquired the name Burma Airways. The airline underwent a name change in 1989 from Burma Airways to Myanmar Airways. This move took place as the name of the country changed from Burma to Myanmar. Eventually, as the international services were transferred to Myanmar Airways International, the name and airline along with new management was set up in 1993.

The operations of Myanmar Airways International officially commenced in 1993. Myanma Airways and Singapore-based entity Highsonic Enterprises joined hands to create Myanmar Airways International as a joint venture. They also received financial and operational support from Brunei Darussalam's national flag carrier, Royal Brunei Airlines. A majority of the management team handling the airline consisted of Singapore-based staff. The airline also accommodated the new Boeing aircraft with an all-expatriate cockpit crew, trained flight attendants and incorporated the UK Civil Aviation Authority's operating standards. The consortium was terminated, and all the ownership of Myanmar Airways International went over to a Myanmar company. In 2001 though, a new venture was created with Region Air Myanmar (HK) Ltd., taking up 49 percent of the stakes while Myanma Airways continued to hold its 40 per cent in the airline.

Before the 2010 General Elections of the state, Myanmar's government sold 80 per cent of its stakes in the airline to a financial institution, Kanbawza Bank Ltd, while holding back 20 percent of its stake through Myanma Airways (Myanmar's government-affiliated domestic carrier which also has shares in the enterprise). Once Kanbawza Bank took up ownership of the airline, the operations of Myanmar Airways International saw a radical change in terms of its organisational structure and the domestic routes and international route maps. While commercialising the airline, Kanbawza Bank further introduced a domestic airline called Air KBZ. Ever since its radical change in operations, the airline has only been expanding tremendously in terms of flight routes and fleet size. Over the years, the airline has introduced various new routes and connectivity to make it a viable airline option for passengers. The airline also received an IOSA certificate (IATA Operational Safety Audit Program), making it the only airline in Myanmar to be the recipient of the same.

Presently, the airline company is independent of government influence. The airline's new fleet also accommodates an Airbus A320 aircraft which has a great engine and cabin facilities. The operations of Myanmar Airways International are wholly in compliance with the Myanmar Aviation Requirements and also follow the operating standards laid out by the International Civil Aviation Organization. Myanmar Airways International holds a reputation for keeping a clean track record of 0 percent accidents. The airline's operations and flights have not met with a single accident in all these years. It has also received the highest rating of seven stars on the Airline Ratings.com, a recognised safety and product rating entity. Over the years, the airline has managed to expand to various Southeast Asian destinations.

Fleet size of Myanmar Airways International

Currently, Myanmar Airways International's fleet has a total of 5 aircraft. It is purely an Airbus fleet with four Airbus A319-100s and five Airbus A320-200s. Much recently, the airline placed an order for two Embraer 190s. The aircraft is set to be delivered in 2020. Prior to the new all-Airbus fleet, the airline did hold a mixed set of aircraft for flight operations. During different periods of time in the past, the airline hosted Airbus A320-200s, Airbus A321-100s, Boeing 737-400s, Boeing 737-800s, Boeing 757-200s, Fokker 100s and McDonnell Douglas MD-82s. However, these aircraft have since returned from the fleet. All their aircraft have the provision of premium cabin class as well as economy class. The aircraft has been enhanced with the latest technology and engines to ensure that the flights do not meet with any technical difficulties or any accidents. They plan to continue holding the title of 'safest' airline and have worked towards upgrading their fleet with the same amenities and equipment. The two Airbus aircraft are narrow-body models.

Baggage Allowance

Baggage allowance on Myanmar Airways International is the same as set by global standards. Depending on the ticket fare as well as the destination. The free baggage weight that is allowed by the airline for economy class is 30 kg. The business class passengers can carry a baggage allowance of up to 40 kg per piece. The airline has specific rules for passengers travelling to Seoul. The airline allows only 23 kg weight for baggage of passengers travelling to Seoul. In case passengers fail to meet up to the standards set by the airline, then an additional charge will be levied. Provision to purchase extra baggage is available, but the weight of the same depends on the cabin class by which the traveller is travelling. Essentially, passengers must also ensure that the dimension of the checked baggage should not exceed 158 cm. Similarly, the hand baggage allowance is also diverse depending on the passenger's ticket type. The airline allows a piece of hand baggage that can weigh no more than 7 kg and should be within the dimension of 58 cm x 34 cm x 23 cm. Along with this, the passenger can also carry an accessory bag which could be a handbag or a laptop bag or briefcase.

In-flight services

Myanmar Airways International's in-flight services are quite decent. The airline caters to a plethora of in-flight services and facilities to ensure that the passengers have a comfortable journey. The seating is exquisite and has the perfect recline with legroom. Along with this, all seats are equipped with personal entertainment systems with a slew of latest content such as TV shows, movies and more. The airline's flight attendants are also very friendly and helpful. In case you require a blanket or pillow or noise-cancelling earplugs, you can request for the same.

Popular routes and top cities for Myanmar Airways International

Myanmar Airways International caters to only a handful of destinations as it predominantly operates in the Southeast Asian destinations. The major cities that the airline operates in are Mandalay, Yangon, Phnom Penh, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hefei, Jinan, Jinjiang, Nanchang, Nanjing, Linyi, Ningbo, Qingdao, Yantai, Singapore, Seoul, Taipei and Bangkok. The airline also caters to two Indian cities, namely Gaya and Kolkata. As a country which follows Buddhism heavily, Myanmar has reserved a flight route to Gaya, the place where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. The massive Mahabodhi Temple Complex is located in Bodh Gaya which receives a tremendous footfall of pilgrims from around the world during Buddha Purnima. At around this time, several pilgrims from Myanmar also head to the Indian holy city to visit the Bodhi Tree where Gautama Buddha rested and eventually attained enlightenment too. Further, the airline also has a few codeshare agreements with airlines, namely Air KBZ, Asian Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Korean Air, Malaysia, Airlines, SriLankan Airlines and Royal Brunei Airlines.

Why travel by Myanmar Airways International?

Despite being in the aviation industry for a long time, Myanmar Airways International is still growing and expanding to reach the other big airlines in the world. Taking smaller steps and touching significant milestones has helped the airline form a strong base of loyal customers. Myanmar Airways International is known to be one of the few airlines with zero percent of accidents to have occurred to any of its aircraft. They plan to maintain this record and hence, are very finicky about the inclusion of newer aircraft to their fleet. However, that has only helped shape their reputation. The airline has excellent domestic route connectivity and is also quite ideal for connecting with various international routes in the Southeast Asian countries. The official website of the airline enables ticket booking, learning about flight status and more such informative details.

Passengers can book a Myanmar Airways International flight on their official website and receive details regarding everything ranging from the web check-in process to baggage allowance restrictions, on their email. Further, Myanmar Airways International's flight schedules have also been added to the airline's page to help passengers understand which flight would be ideal for their journey. They have also introduced miles programme for frequent flyers and customers who wish to be members of the airline's miles programme. They do come with many attractive benefits that the customers would definitely like. Plus, it would only enhance their experience with Myanmar Airways International.