Yangon – Doha, Qatar Airways today announced the resumption of scheduled flights services to Yangon Myanmar after its suspension in January 2008 Yangon marks Qatar Airways’ 10th destination in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) that includes Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Hanoi, Singapore, Manila and Phuket.

Akbar Al Baker Qatar Airways’ chief executive officer and Khin Zaw Win, Ambassador of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia covering Qatar were on-board the flight

Al Baker said, “Yangon becomes our ninth new destination so far this year to join Qatar Airways’ family of routes and the first Asian launch in 2012” 

"Today marks a very special occasion as we celebrate our arrival into a city and country that show enormous potential and growth, both as a competitive tourism destination and centre for business in the ASEAN region. 

“There has never been a better time to expand into Myanmar – a country blessed with rich natural resources, and proximity to some of the world’s most dynamic economies.

“The people of Yangon and across Myanmar now have great travel options to more than 90 business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa and The Americas. And similarly, we will be flying business and leisure travellers from around the world with a one-stop product through Doha, helping contribute to the revival of Myanmar’s once burgeoning economy.” 

“As we continue to grow and receive more aircraft, we will look at other opportunities to expand our network and further strengthen our brand presence around the world. This includes the ASEAN region, especially at a time when the region is preparing to implement its open skies policy in 2015, which will open up air access even more to this dynamic part of the world.”

Qatar Airways is operating three weekly non-stop scheduled flights into Yangon from its Doha hub, flying an Airbus 319 aircraft in a two-class configuration offering eight seats in business and 102 in economy. 

The Yangon is the largest airport in the Myanmar, handling around 2.5 million passengers annually, two-thirds being international visitors 

The Asia Pacific and South Asia represent around 30 per cent of Qatar Airways’ global coverage,. Since early 2012, the Doha based airline launched flights to Baku (Azerbaijan); Tbilisi (Georgia); Kigali (Rwanda); Zagreb (Croatia), Erbil (Iraq), Baghdad (Iraq), Perth (Australia) and Kilimanjaro (Tanzania).

Over the next few months, Qatar Airways will open new routes, including Maputo, Mozambique (October 31); Belgrade, Serbia (November 20); Warsaw, Poland (December 5); Gassim, Saudi Arabia (7 January 2013); Najaf, Iraq (January 23); and Chicago, USA (April 10).

DOHA – YANGON (Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays) Depart Doha on QR 618 at 2105 hrs, arrive in Yangon at 0700 hrs next day YANGON – DOHA (Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays) Depart Yangon on QR 619 at 0830 hrs, arrive in Doha at 1130 hrs