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| Founded | 1946 | |||
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| Hubs | Yangon International Airport | |||
| Frequent-flyer program | Sky Mile | |||
| Fleet size | 5 | |||
| Destinations | 8 | |||
| Company slogan | Modern Comforts, Gentle Traditions | |||
| Parent company | Myanma Airways | |||
| Headquarters | Yangon, Myanmar | |||
| Key people | Maung Maung Ohn (Chairman) Sithu (CEO) |
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| Website | www.maiair.com | |||
Myanmar Airways International Co., Ltd. (Burmese: အပြည်ပြည်ဆိုင်ရာ မြန်မာ့လေကြောင်း) is the international airline of Myanmar, headquartered in Yangon.[1] It operates scheduled international services to destinations mainly in Southeast Asia. Its main base is Yangon International Airport.[2]
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The airline was founded by the government before independence in 1946 as Union of Burma Airways. It initially operated domestic services. International services were added in 1950. The name was changed to Burma Airways in December 1972, and to Myanma Airways on April 1, 1989, following the renaming of the country from Burma to Myanmar. International services were transferred to Myanmar Airways International, set up in 1993.[2]
Myanmar Airways International (MAI) took off in August 1993, initially created as a joint venture between Myanma Airways and Singapore-based Highsonic Enterprises, with the support of Royal Brunei Airlines. It boasted a Singapore management team (many ex-Singapore Airlines staff), new Boeing aircraft, all-expatriate cockpit crews, improved training for flight attendants and new UK Civil Aviation Authority operating standards. Eventually, the original joint venture was terminated and MAI became a wholly owned Myanmar company. In January 2001, a new joint venture was formed in which Region Air Myanmar (HK) Ltd., took a 49% stake and a local businessman through his company Zan Co. took a 11% share and Myanma Airways retained 40%.
In 2001, a new corporate identity and aircraft livery were rolled out and the company completed its first major cabin-crew-upgrading program. In 2002, the airline obtained new International Air Transport Association (IATA) airline designator codes and joined both the IATA Multilateral Interline Traffic Agreement (MITA) and IATA Clearing House. The airline sent 122 employees on training courses at Malaysia Airlines and Royal Brunei Airlines training centers. In 2003, MAI launched a code-share agreement with Thai Airways International on the Bangkok-Yangon-Bangkok route. The company also has code-sharing with Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways and Jetstar Asia Airways. In 2004, the airline took delivery of new uniforms for ground staff and recruited a further 16 new cabin-crew trainees.
In February 2007, the foreign management team under Region Air Myanmar (HK) Ltd. transferred its control to Myanma Airways.
Having revived from the tighter US sanctions on Myanmar, MAI is now operating as normal with its own aircraft and plans to expand flight frequency, fleet as well as new routes are underway.
Myanmar Airways International serves the following destinations (as of March 2011): [3] [4] [5] [6]
Myanmar Airways International has codeshare agreements with:[3]
The Myanmar Airways International fleet comprises the following aircraft (as of March 2011) [4]:
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Options | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Airbus A321-200 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Delivered 26 October |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 |
MAI has operated a variety of aircraft types, including:[7]