Mingalar Aviation Services

Mingalar Aviation Services (Burmese: မင်္ဂလာ လေကြောင်းပို့ဆောင်ရေးလုပ်ငန်း) formerly known as Air Kanbawza or Air KBZ, is a privately owned domestic airline in Myanmar based in Yangon. It was established in June 2010 as Air Kanbawza and officially rebranded itself as Mingalar on 6 January 2024.[1] The airline began operations with domestic scheduled services from Yangon, Myanmar on 2 April 2011.[2] In 2015 Air KBZ began codesharing international flights with its partner Myanmar Airways International, and on 2 December 2016 Air KBZ itself expanded internationally, launching its first scheduled service outside Myanmar with flights connecting Yangon and Chiang Mai in neighboring Thailand.[3]

Mingalar Aviation Services
IATA ICAO Call sign
K7 KBZ JADE AIR
FoundedJune 2010
Commenced operations2 April 2011
HubsYangon International Airport
Secondary hubsMandalay International Airport
Frequent-flyer programSky Smile Frequent Flyer Program
Fleet size2
Destinations13
HeadquartersYangon, Myanmar
Key people
  • U Aung Aung Zaw (Chairman)
  • Mr. Ryan Zwe (Vice Chairman)
Websitewww.mingalaraviation.com

In December 2023, KBZ completed its exit from Air KBZ. On January 6, 2024, the new owner launched a rebranding initiative, renaming the airline to Mingalar Aviation Services ("Mingalar").[4]

Destinations

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Mingalar Aviation Services serves the following destinations as of January 2024:

Country City Airport Notes Refs
India Imphal Imphal Airport Charter [5]
Myanmar Bagan Nyaung U Airport [6]
Dawei Dawei Airport [7]
Heho Heho Airport [6]
Kalaymyo Kalaymyo Airport Terminated
Kawthaung Kawthaung Airport [7]
Kengtung Kengtung Airport [8]
Khamti Khamti Airport Terminated
Kyaukpyu Kyaukpyu Airport [9]
Lashio Lashio Airport [10]
Loikaw Loikaw Airport Terminated
Mandalay Mandalay International Airport Hub
Myitkyina Myitkyina Airport [11]
Nay Pyi Taw Nay Pyi Taw International Airport Terminated
Putao Putao Airport [11]
Sittwe Sittwe Airport [12]
Tachilek Tachilek Airport Terminated
Thandwe Thandwe Airport [13]
Yangon Yangon International Airport Hub
Thailand Chiang Mai Chiang Mai International Airport Terminated

Codeshare agreements

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Mingalar Aviation Services has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

Fleet

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Current fleet

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As of January 2024, the Mingalar Aviation Services fleet consists of the following aircraft:

Mingalar fleet[14]
Aircraft In Fleet Orders Notes
ATR 72-600 4
Total 4

Former fleet

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The airline previously operated the following aircraft under the name of Air KBZ (as of April 2024):[15]

Sponsorships

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In 2014, Mingalar Aviation Services started sponsoring Myanmar's national sport, Lethwei. The event is called the Air KBZ Aung Lan Golden Belt Championship being held at Thein Phyu Stadium in Yangon.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "About Us". Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Air KBZ launched domestic scheduled services from Yangon, Myanmar on 2 April 2011". ATR Aircraft. Archived from the original on 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
  3. ^ "Airline Review - Air KBZ". Destination Travel. 2 May 2018. Archived from the original on April 30, 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "Air KBZ changes its name to Mingala Airlines". Eleven Media Group Co., Ltd. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  5. ^ "Imphal-Mandalay flight from November 23". NorthEast Today. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Air KBZ Company Limited flight K7 212: Bagan/Nyaung-u - Yangon via Heho". Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Air KBZ Company Limited flight K7 323: Yangon - Kawthaung via Dawei". Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Air KBZ Company Limited flight K7 827: Kengtung - Yangon via Heho". Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Air KBZ Company Limited flight K7 412: Kyaukpyu - Yangon". Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Air KBZ Company Limited flight K7 849: Lashio - Yangon". Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Air KBZ Company Limited flight K7 636: Multiple routes". Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Air KBZ Company Limited flight K7 425: Sittwe - Yangon". Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Air KBZ Company Limited flight K7 429: Thandwe - Yangon". Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Air KBZ Fleet Details and History". airfleets.net. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Global Airline Guide 2018 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2018): 21.
  16. ^ Kyaw Zin Hlaing (13 December 2016). "Myanmar's lethwei goliath toppled by Canadian 'Dave'". Myanmar Times.