Low-cost carrier HK Express became the latest airline to fly to Myanmar last week when it launched flights between Hong Kong and increasingly busy Yangon International Airport, reports said.
A ceremony at YIA on September 1 marked the start of the service, that offers return flights on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
“HK Express is dedicated to developing a more connected Asia with affordable flights, new routes and convenient services,” Mr Andrew Cohen, the carrier’s director and chief executive, said in a statement issued by the airline that described Myanmar as “one of Southeast Asia’s most prized gems”.
The low-cost carrier can expect stiff competition on the route, which is already served by Hong Kong’s Dragon Air, Malaysia’s AirAsia, and Myanmar flag carrier, MNA.
HK Express is also planning to launch direct flights between Hong Kong and Mandalay on September 5, the Myanmar Times reported on Friday, quoting the airline’s general manager, Mr Sherman Luk.
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However, the twice-weekly service offering the only direct flights between the two cities would only operate until October 28 because of “operational reasons”, the carrier told the newspaper.
HK Express would the third international carrier in a week to launch services to Mandalay, the newspaper said.
Services linking Mandalay and Bangkok were launched on August 31 by MNA and on September 1 by the country’s only other international carrier, Myanmar Airways International, it said.
Daw Aye Mra Tha, MAI’s head of marketing and public relations, said it was not considering a service to Hong Kong.
“There aren’t many passengers flying Yangon to Hong Kong,” she told the Myanmar Times. “It’s more a seasonal flight during Chinese New Year and the Myanmar Gems Emporium [in June], she said.
