YANGON, 29 October 2019: Kunming-based Ruili Airlines started a new service to Yangon in Myanmar this week from Mangshi the main city in a region in southwest Yunnan province, China, that shares a 68 km border with Myanmar.
A four weekly service to Yangon using a 144-seat Boeing 737 departs Dehong (LUM/ZPLX) the city’s airport that serves Mangshi and the surrounding autonomous prefecture in Yunnan province. The new Yangon flights are scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Ruili Airlines launched four weekly flights from Mangshi to Mandalay earlier this year departing on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Mangshi airport upgraded to an international gateway in 2016 when it adopted the name Dehong. On 31 January 2019, Ruili Airlines opened the first international flight to Mandalay, Myanmar, from the airport.
The airline is based at Kunming’s Changshui International Airport and majors on serving domestic destinations from Kunming but has recently established flights to cities Southeast Asia including a direct service from Jinghong to Chiang Rai in far north Thailand.
Owned by the Yunnan Jingcheng Group, it started flying in 2014 and has a fleet of 19 aircraft, a mix of Boeing 737 series 700 and 800s. Last year it placed an order with Boeing for 42 737s including the now grounded MAX.
It currently flies to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai in North Thailand and Sihanoukville a coastal town in Cambodia.
Yangon International Airport has flights to 34 international destinations offered by 36 airlines and handled around 6 million passengers in 2018.
