Myanmar international airline to resume flight with alternate aircraft

YANGON – The Myanmar Airways International (MAI), the sole national flag carrier, has resumed normal flight with a newly-hired aircraft as an alternate arrangement after its former aircraft was stopped flying Bangkok’s new international airport, local private media reported Monday.

The 150-seat aircraft of the type of Boeing 737-400 was hired from the Thai-based NOK airline and the MAI’s flight operation has resumed since Friday, the Voice quoted the MAI sources as saying.

MAI’s former aircraft of MD-82, which was hired from Thailand’s Orient Air, was barred from flying over Bangkok Suvarnabhumi new airport since Wednesday for having instances that the aircraft crashed recently near Phuket coast as cited by both Thai and Myanmar civil aviation authorities as well as having premium issue, the report said.

Earlier, the MAI once also hired airbus-319 from Bhutan’s Druk Air and has been flying under code-sharing systems with Singapore’s Jet Star, Malaysia’s MH and Thailand’s TG for Yangon-Bangkok and Yangon-Kuala Lumpur routes, the report added.

MAI is a joint venture between the state-run Myanmar Airways and the Region Air of Singapore set up in 1993 for sole international service covering flight destinations of Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.