Dragonair to begin direct flights to Myanmar in January
Starting in January, airline will offer four flights a week to Myanmar, a regular service not seen since the 1940s. Return tickets start at HK$7,150
Hong Kong will be connected to Yangon, Myanmar's largest city and former capital, by direct flights from January.
The flights by Dragonair are part of increasing ties between Hong Kong and the country, which is emerging from years of economic and political isolation.
The national airline, Myanmar Airways International (MAI), also plans direct flights to Hong Kong, although no date has been set for them to start.
Separately, a group of Hong Kong manufacturers met Myanmese consular officials yesterday to discuss investment opportunities in the country.
Announcing the new service to Yangon, Dragonair chief executive officer Patrick Yeung said: "Launching this new destination will further strengthen Hong Kong's position as a leading aviation hub. We see tremendous potential in this market with both tourism and commercial activities rapidly gaining momentum."
Currently, Hong Kong passengers bound for Myanmar transit via Bangkok, Guangzhou or Singapore and it can take seven hours to reach Yangon. The new flight, running four times a week, will cut the journey to five hours. An economy-class return ticket will cost HK$7,150 and a business-class ticket HK$10,420, not including taxes.