Tay Za (L), the chairman of Air Bagan, and Lim Kim Choon, the director general and chief executive officer of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), toast at the launch of Air Bagan’s maiden flight to Singapore after its arrival at Changi International Airport on September 7. Pic: AFP

SINGAPORE – Singapore became the second international destination for Myanmar’s Air Bagan last Friday with the airline’s launch of daily flights between the two countries.

The new service will offer 14 flights each week. The Air Bagan Airbus A310-200 landed about 30 minutes late on its inaugural flight from Yangon.

Tay Za, the airline’s chairman, told a welcoming ceremony at Changi Airport that the Singapore service marks “a new phase” of Air Bagan’s operation.
Singapore is only the second international destination for the carrier after service to Bangkok began in May, he said.

“I believe that our service will promote the relationship between the two countries, at the same time boost tourism with ASEAN nations,” he said before a loud crack that sent a shower of gold confetti onto the audience.

Two other carriers, Singapore Airlines’ regional unit SilkAir, and Jetstar Asia, already link Singapore and Yangon.

Lim Kim Choon, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), said the Air Bagan service begins “at an opportune” time when growth in passenger traffic between the two countries is at its strongest.

Last year, 156,000 people travelled between the countries, 23.5 percent higher than the previous year, he said in a statement. In the first six months of this year, the growth continued as 92,000 passengers made the trip, he said.

Asked how much difficulty Air Bagan has had in securing international landing rights, Gopi Bala, the airline’s senior marketing manager, told AFP: “It’s been easy”.

He said Kunming, China, is expected to become an Air Bagan destination by the end of this year. – AFP