Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Myanmar Air expands its fleet

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Wednesday, 31 October 2012 13:41 Mizzima News

Myanmar Airways International (MAI) has received a leased Airbus A320-200 to expand its fleet of aircraft, in a lease arrangement with International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), a wholly owned subsidiary of American International Group, Inc.

It is the first commercial jet aircraft of its type to be provided on an operating lease to an airline in Burma by a global aircraft leasing company, according to reports.

A MAI A320 aircraft at Rangoon Int'l Airport in 2010. Photo: MAI

“ILFC believes MAI will succeed on their plan to offer the region a preferred premium carrier. The A320 delivered to MAI will modernize and expand MAI's current A320 fleet and offer increased takeoff weight, greater range and improved fuel economy,” said ILFC's Head of Asia Pacific, David Nixon, in a statement.

Si Thu, the managing director and chief executive officer of Myanmar Airways International, said, “ILFC is the right partner for MAI, and the timing of this first ILFC A320 aircraft delivery to our airline will help us expand our fleet and extend our routes in this new era in Myanmar.”

In 2012, MAI will initiate flights to Cambodia and Hong Kong. MAI operates six Airbus A320s, and it is currently in discussion with airframe manufacturers to modernize its fleet with either A320NEOs or 737MAX.

The A320 single-aisle jetliner used in a full range of services from very short-haul airline routes to intercontinental segments. The aircraft is best known as the first airliner to introduce a fly-by-wire flight control system.

Launched in 1993, MAI is the first joint venture airline between the government and the private sector in Myanmar (20 per cent owned by the government through Myanmar Airways and 80 per cent by Kanbawza Group).

MAI is the international airline of Burma with regular flights between Rangoon, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Gaya and Guangzhou.

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