Chinese airlines eye Myanmar, 26 routes connecting Myanmar and China

China has launched an aviation war against India in Myanmar.

After IndiGo on September 20 introduced a Kolkata-Yangon flight, the Kunming Airlines has decided to launch two direct flights to Yangon and Mandalay.

So far, there were no direct flights between any Indian city and Myanmar, and passengers used to travel mostly via Bangkok.

With introduction of the non-stop IndiGo flight, a lot of Buddhist tourists are now likely to visit Bodh Gaya on pilgrimage.

With introduction of the two Kunming Airlines flights, tour operators in Myanmar are euphoric because they expect more Chinese tourists to visit during the winter months.

In fact, Chinese airlines companies have identified Myanmar as a new attractive destination.

At present, there were 26 routes connecting Myanmar and China, compared to only six routes in 2018.

Kunming Airlines is likely to start services to both the cities from mid-October.

According to the tour operators in Yangon, Kunming Airline will fly to Mandalay on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The Kunming-Mandalay flight will start operations from October 16.

The flight will depart Kunming at 2105 (China time) and arrive in Mandalay at 2120 (Myanmar time).

The Kunming to Yangon service will start from October 15, and will have four weekly flights on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday.

The flights will depart Kunming at 2015 (China time) and arrive in Yangon at 2015 (Myanmar time).