MAI delays circle route

BANGKOK, 7 December 2012: Myanmar Airways International will delay the launch of its Bangkok-Mandalay-Yangon and Yangon-Hong Kong to early next year.
The decision leaves Thai AirAsia as the sole operator on the Bangkok-Mandalay route since October.
MAI country manager, Thailand and Cambodia, Ye Jhan, told TTR Weekly that the national airline was trying to launch the service between Bangkok and Mandalay by early next year, but it has been on and off since October.

The airline wants to operate a circle route, Bangkok-Mandalay-Yangon, not point-to-point Bangkok-Mandalay and it has so far failed to gain permission to pick up passengers for the domestic sector.
The carrier recently started a domestic service between Yangon and Mandalay and wants to add Bangkok to the route, a move that has faced opposition from civil aviation authorities.
During the current winter schedule it has introduced a regional service; three flights a week to Gaya, a pilgrim destination in India from Mandalay.
Also, Mr Ye Jhan said the launch of a Yangon-Hong Kong service that was supposed to start this month will now be scheduled for early 2013.
A similar change of plans has hit the proposed Yangon-Vientiane service that will now be delayed until the winter scheduled of 2013, due to low demand.
This month MAI resumes services to Cambodia serving both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap with two flights daily. Up until last August the airline flew to Phnom Penh, but made a stop in Siem Reap. This time round it will offer separate daily services to each destination.
Currently the airline has a fleet of eight aircraft; one A319 and seven A320.

source: TTR Weekly
http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2012/12/mai-delays-circle-route/#more-50900