Myanmar Airways International
| |||||||
| Founded | 1993 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Yangon International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 1 | ||||||
| Destinations | 3 | ||||||
| Parent company | Myanma Airways | ||||||
| Headquarters | Yangon, Myanmar | ||||||
| Key people | U Maung Maung Ohn (Chairman) Gerard de Vaz (Managing Director) | ||||||
| Website | http://www.maiair.com | ||||||
Myanmar Airways International Co., Ltd. is the international airline of Myanmar, based in Yangon. It operates scheduled international services to destinations in South-East Asia. Its main base is Yangon International Airport.[2]
History
The airline was founded by the government after independence in 1948 as Union of Burma Airways. It initially operated domestic services and international services were added in 1950. The name was changed to Burma Airways in December 1972, and to Myanma Airways on 1 April 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%. [citation needed]
In 2001, a new corporate identity and aircraft livery was rolled out and the company completed its first major cabin crew upgrade 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.
Following the tighter US sanctions on Myanmar, MAI leased aircraft has been retracted from its operations. It currently does not operate any aircraft and sells tickets of its code share partners.
All local airlines, including MAI, are deemed unsafe by JAA and FAA standards; Myanmar DCA is not a member state of ICAO and does not adhere to international standards.
Destinations
As of October 2007, Myanmar Airways International has stopped operating scheduled flights. to:[3]
International
Code Share
As of May 2007, Myanmar Airways International has codeshare agreements with:[3]
Coming Soon
Fleet
As of September 2007, the Myanmar Airways International fleet includes:[4]
2 McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (one aircraft leased from Lion Air)
- Previously operated:
- McDonnell Douglas MD-82
- Boeing 737-300, B737-400 and B737-800
- Boeing 757-200
- Airbus A321
External links
www.myanmar.gov.mm
References
- ^ Airframes.org
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-10. p. 53.
- ^ a b Myanmar Airways International website
- ^ Myanmar Airways International - MAI - International Airline in Myanmar