INDIAN air carrier IndiGo made its inaugural flight from Kolkata to Yangon International Airport, marking the first scheduled daily flight from any Indian city to the gateway to Myanmar.
IndiGo will operate an Airbus A320, which can accommodate 180 passengers, for the flight which will take between two to two-and-a-half hours each way. The service will enhance air links between Myanmar and India – two countries which enjoy rich historical and cultural ties.
The additional flight follows recent promotions by Yangon Aerodrome Company Limited (“YACL”), operator of Yangon International Airport (“YIA”), YACL, Myanmar Tourism Marketing and IndiGo to promote air links targeted at commercial passengers as well as Buddhist pilgrims from Myanmar visiting sacred sites in India such as Bodha Gaya and Indian pilgrims to temples and monasteries including the Shwedagon Pagoda and Bagan, recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, among others.
The Myanmar government also recently extended its visas-on-arrival grant to Indian passport holders till the end of September 2020.
With the addition of this new airline, YIA now connects to 33 international destinations operated by 34 international airlines.
Celebrating the inaugural flight at Yangon International Airport
The celebration event was held at Terminal 1 and graced by U Kyaw Myo, Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Transport and Communications, India’s Ambassador to Myanmar Mr. Saurabh Kumar, and U Khin Aung Tun, Vice Chairman of Myanmar Tourism Federation. Officials from the Department of Civil Aviation, Myanmar Tourism Federation, IndiGo team, YIA officials and airline partners were also present at the event.—GNLM
