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
Founded	June 2010
Commenced operations	2 April 2011
Hubs	Yangon International Airport
Secondary hubs	Mandalay International Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Sky Smile Frequent Flyer Program
Fleet size	2
Destinations	13
Headquarters	Yangon, Myanmar
Key people	U Aung Aung Zaw (chairman) Ryan Zwe (vice chairman)
Website	www.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

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

Mingalar Aviation Services has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

• Myanmar Airways International

Fleet

Current fleet

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

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

• 6 ATR 72-500
• 5 ATR 72-600, 1 sold to Mann Yadanarpon Airlines

Sponsorships

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

References

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. "Air KBZ Company Limited flight K7 212: Bagan/Nyaung-u - Yangon via Heho". Retrieved 21 January 2024.
7. "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. "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.