Myanmar, Nepal to Establish Air Link By Month-End

Myanmar, Nepal to establish air link by month-end

YANGON, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) — Myanmar and Nepal will establish direct air link with the Cosmic Air, the largest state-owned airline of Nepal, set to start its maiden flight between Katmandu and Yangon on Oct. 30, a local press reported Monday.

The set-up of the air link between Myanmar and Nepal is aimed mainly at facilitating pilgrims of the two Buddhist countries to visit each other nation’s religious sites, the Voice quoted airline sources as saying.

Previously, air trips between the two capitals have to go through Calcutta of India.

Meanwhile, an aviation delegation of three countries — Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam — will visit Myanmar later this year to carry out a feasibility study on developing air links among CLMV countries which also include Myanmar, according to other reports.

Besides, Myanmar and the Philippines are also exploring enhanced cooperation in the air sector and a negotiation is underway to work out an air services agreement between them, air industry sources said.

There has been a number of foreign airlines that fly Yangon including Air China, Thai Airways International, Silk Air, Malaysian Airline System, Biman (Bangladesh), Indian Airlines, Lauda Air (Austria), Phuket Airlines (Thailand), Bangkok Airways and Qatar Airways (Middle-East).

There are also three Myanmar-foreign joint venture airlines flying international routes which are the Myanmar Airways International, the United Myanmar Airlines and the Air Myanmar.

Myanmar’s domestic airlines are represented by one state-run Myanma Airways and three joint ventures which are Air Mandalay, Yangon Airways and Air Bagan.