Myanma Airways to resume flights to Singapore under the name Myanmar National Airlines in August 2015

Report contrbuted by : Chai Peng Kong
Original Source : Kyaw Hsu Mon, The Irrawaddy
Edited by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Myanmar’s national flag carrier Myanmar National Airlines (MNA) announced on 16 June 2015 in a press statement that it will offer direct flights from Yangon to Singapore beginning in August 2015. Four other cities in the Asia Pacific region will join its international network in early 2016.

Coinciding with this week’s induction of one of 10 new aircraft into its fleet, MNA said the new planes consisting of six Boeing B737-800 and four B737 Max aircraft will link the company’s 26 domestic destinations with an expanding international network.

“With these beautiful, leading-edge aircraft we will create a premier airline that is the undisputed leader in the country, the rival of others in the region and that shares the spirit of Myanmar with the world,” MNA CEO Than Tun said in the statement.

In 2014, MNA secured six Boeing 737-800s and four 737 Max aircraft in a US$960 million deal with GE Civil Aviation Services, the largest commercial deal between the United States and Myanmar in decades.

MNA, formerly called Myanma Airways, was incorporated in 2014 as Myanmar's sole flag carrier and was authorized to operate both domestic and international routes. The airline currently has the largest domestic network.

The new international route to Singapore will bring MNA into competition with two other local carriers serving Singapore. Myanmar Airways International (MAI), owned by KBZ Chairman Aung Ko Win, offers seven international destinations including Singapore, and Golden Myanmar Airlines, owned by CB Bank Chairman Khin Maung Aye, that serves Singapore and Chiang Mai.

MNA will focus on safety and service to keep up in the market as it becomes more saturated.

Myanmar National Airlines was founded under the name of Union of Burma Airways in 1948. Initially offering only domestic routes, it later expanded its network to include Dhaka, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kathmandu, Don Mueang and Singapore, but those routes were suspended in the early 1990s when it was known as Myanma Airways.