TAIWAN: EVA Air To Feed North America Network

Regional Asia growth does not receive the attention that intercontinental long haul growth does, but regional expansion provides the foundation connections for an expanded range of long haul flights.

In Jul-2018 Eva Air inaugurated service to Chiang Mai, its 12th Southeast Asia destination. EVA Air disclosed that it is planning for its 13th and 14th destinations – Penang and Yangon. EVA Air may also fly to India.

Taiwan's Go South policy encourages the economy, transportation and tourism included to do more business in Southeast Asia in order to differentiate away from Northeast Asia and reduce reliance on mainland China.

The new destinations will also help fuel EVA's North America network, which accounts for approximately half of the airline's system-wide flying. Half of EVA's North American passengers connect beyond Taipei, mostly to Southeast Asia.

New destinations, especially those that few other competitors serve, add uniqueness. Rapid trans Pacific growth in recent years has necessitated a greater number of unique city pair combinations.

Cathay Pacific's regional arm Cathay Dragon is adding service to two Southeast Asian destinations not yet served by another Northeast Asian airline.

EVA Air is considering service to Penang and Yangon.

EVA Air studying India, dependent on aeropolitical instruments.

Taiwan is encouraging tourism and visitor growth in Southeast Asia in order to differentiate away from Northeast Asia, especially from mainland China.

Southeast Asian destination growth important for EVA Air to feed its North American network.

Taiwan is pursuing Southeast Asia tourism growth.

The new destinations, if launched, would further Taiwan's aim to grow tourism from Southeast Asia and reduce dependence on Northeast Asia.

Approximately two thirds of Taiwan's visitor arrivals are from Northeast Asia. This includes mainland China, with a 25% share of all arrivals, and Japan at 18%.

Taiwan's quest for Southeast Asia growth is partially out of opportunity, but also as a hedge should the uncertain mainland China market dip – which has occurred over the years, with significant impact on Taiwan tourism.

Taiwan visitor arrivals by market: 2017

Taiwan receives a larger share of visitors from the US before any Southeast Asia market. Taiwan's largest Southeast Asian source markets are Malaysia (5%), Singapore (4%), Philippines (3%) and Indonesia (2%).

Singapore has only a 1ppt difference from Malaysia, despite Singapore's much smaller size.

This is partially the result of LCC competition between Singapore and Taiwan with Scoot and Jetstar as well as ample full service airline capacity, as EVA Air and China Airlines use widebodies to feed their North American networks.

EVA Air has not served Penang. Penang would be a new passenger destination for EVA Air. The airline has freighter services to Penang, while China Airlines has freighter services as well as a daily 737-800 passenger service.

China Southern has twice daily Airbus narrowbody flights to Guangzhou, which connect with its North American network (albeit limited).

Penang International Airport international seat capacity by airline: week commencing 02-Jul-2018

The main competition is from Cathay Dragon, which has twice daily flights on narrowbody and widebody aircraft. Cathay Dragon's sister airline Cathay Pacific has a larger North America network but also links Penang to the rest of Northeast Asia.

No other Northeast Asian airline serves Penang with passenger service (Korean Air has freighter service). Cathay Dragon is the fourth largest international operator at Penang. 17% of Penang's international capacity is to Northeast Asia.

Penang International Airport international seat capacity by region: week commencing 02-Jul-2018

EVA Air briefly served Yangon. Yangon represents a service resumption for EVA Air, if launched. EVA Air was one of a number of airlines to launch service to Yangon after political change and an impending opening-up for business.

EVA Air entered Yangon with other Northeast Asian airlines, including ANA and what is today Cathay Dragon, both of which are able to link Yangon with their large North American networks.

EVA Air served Yangon for eight months from Oct-2012 to May-2013. Taiwan was initially a smaller business partner for Myanmar and EVA Air operated at lower frequency than Cathay Dragon. ANA also had low frequency, but operated a premium aircraft while Japan had larger business ties.

Yangon has far more Northeast Asian competition than Penang. Also, Gulf airlines are more present in Yangon. One-stop flights from Yangon to North America can be longer than transiting through a Northeast Asian hub, but fares can be low.

Gulf airlines tend to be more present in the Southeast Asia-East Coast North America market, which represents a smaller detour compared to Northeast Asia-West Coast North America.

Unlike service on Penang, the North American heavyweights ANA and Korean Air serve Yangon. Two mainland Chinese airlines – Air China and China Southern – link Yangon with their main hubs. China Eastern serves Yangon from Kunming and not Shanghai, the hub for its North American network.

Northeast Asia represents 19% of Yangon's international seats, which is a share not much higher than the 17% that Northeast Asia represents at Penang.

Yangon Mingaladon International Airport international seat capacity by region: week commencing 02-Jul-2018

India's high volumes but low yields are challenging. EVA Air has also said that it is considering service to India but would have to assess aeropolitical instruments.

Taiwan and India amended their air service agreement in 2016, with reports stating that each side was permitted 14 weekly passenger flights. The only passenger services are two weekly flights from China Airlines on the Taipei-Delhi route. This low frequency does not suggest a large unserved market.

Northeast Asian airlines have a number of challenges growing in India. Local demand is typically very small due to limited business, tourism and VFR markets – unlike in Southeast Asia.

Flights from Northeast Asian hubs to India can between five and nine hours – a long time to sustain a flight on mostly connecting traffic with little O&D traffic.

Gulf airlines do this across their network, but their market is connecting traffic, whereas Northeast Asian airlines are structured more towards a balance between O&D and connecting traffic.

The high cost of Northeast Asia-India flights is especially limiting to ANA and JAL, which are historically Northeast Asia-North America connecting airlines but have the highest cost bases in Asia.

The distance between India and Northeast Asian hubs requires a widebody aircraft to be used in most instances. Next generation narrowbodies (A321LR, 737 MAX) will only open so many markets in Northeast Asia-India.

This limits the opportunity to link thinner markets and offer high frequency, or trade three weekly widebody flights with a daily narrowbody traffic rights permitting; some are based on frequency and others on seats/units of capacity.

Southeast Asia growth fuels North America expansion. New Asian destinations will help EVA's North America network. North America accounts for 48% of EVA's ASKs, and more when the regional Asia capacity that exists largely to feed North American flying is taken into account.

An expanded Asia network can help EVA Air grow in North America while also improving the existing network.

As one-stop trans Pacific competition increases, EVA Air needs more differentiation.

EVA Air ASKs by region: Week commencing 02-Jul-2018

Should EVA Air add Penang and Yangon, it will have 14 destinations in Southeast Asia from its main hub.

In 2017, with 11 markets, EVA served the same number of Southeast Asian destinations as China Eastern did from its hub. This considers only destinations served, and not frequency, capacity or connectivity.

EVA will have much more differentiation than ANA, and come up to Korean Air. Penang and Yangon, besides being new destinations, bring more uniqueness to EVA's network.

In comparison, all of ANA's Southeast Asian destinations are served by three or more airlines in this benchmark study of leading trans Pacific operators with Southeast Asian connections.

EVA Air's additions of Penang and Yangon also reduce the dominance of competitors. Exceptions are Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon, which have added service to two destinations – Davao and Medan – not served by any other Northeast Asian airline.

Potential for the connectivity upside is still largely unrecognised. Yet for all the changes, there is still far more growth to be unlocked with improvements in narrowbody aircraft technology, slots, traffic rights and government transparency.

The inevitable focus on China market growth tends to disguise the great potential for growth of southeast and south Asian transfer markets over north Asia.

The large distances across the Pacific make direct services operationally difficult and often uneconomical, but as economies grow and trade links with north America expand, traffic flowing along the linkages made possible by connecting services will only increase.


Tourism Observer

MYANMAR: Three New Hotels To Open Soon In Yangon

Rosewood Yangon
Three luxury heritage hotels will open in Yangon in the next two years, but with the Rohingya crisis turning Western tourists off Myanmar, they must rely on travellers like the Chinese, who are visiting in ever greater droves

Next month the 74-room Yangon Excelsior, a renovation of the British colonial-era Steel Brothers company headquarters on Bo Sun Pat Street, Yangon – will welcome its first visitors.

In December, or thereabouts, the stunning Rosewood Yangon, a makeover of the New Law Courts building on Strand Road, completed in 1931 – will open, adding 166 rooms to the luxury heritage hotel market in Myanmar’s former capital.

The property will be managed by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, owned by Hong Kong-based New World Development.

In 2020, the Peninsula Yangon Hotel, a challenging renovation now under way of the former headquarters of the Burma Railways Company, is scheduled to open on Bogyoke Aung San Road, in the middle of Yangon’s Central Business District.

The hotel will be run by a joint venture between the The Hongkong & Shanghai Hotels and Myanmar’s Yoma Group.

The Excelsior, Rosewood and Peninsula are all on sites dating back to the British colonial era in Myanmar (1886 to 1948), then called Burma.

Yangon already boasts three heritage hotels – the iconic Strand Hotel founded in 1901 by two of the Armenian Sarkies brothers, who also started the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, the Belmond Governor’s Residence and the Savoy Hotel.

Yangon, thanks to Myanmar’s unique modern history of colonial rule followed by five decades of relative economic isolation (1962 to 2012), is a treasure trove of architectural relics.

There are at least 189 public buildings listed as heritage sites by the Yangon City Development Committee, which are gradually being leased out to the private sector to be refurbished as hotels, office blocks, restaurants and retail outlets.

The tenants of such properties are contractually obliged to work closely with the committee and the Yangon Heritage Trust to preserve the authenticity of the buildings. This can be an expensive proposition.

We’ve done everything on the building, including X-raying the whole structure, says Stephen Purvis, general manager of Meeyahta Development, the Yoma subsidiary that is handling the makeover of the 88-room Peninsula Yangon.

The renovation has been an engineering challenge, Purvis says. This building, the top is made of brick and the bottom half is made of laterite, which is much softer than sandstone.

The contractor has had to build a new frame inside the laterite base to support the old frame, and preserve the original structure. It’s costing an absolute arm and a leg, he adds.

Renovating heritage sites in Yangon requires patience, money and perhaps a measure of love for Myanmar.

I first came to Yangon in 1999 and fell in love with the country. I like its authenticity, says Supalak Foong, director of Thailand-based Kanok Furniture and Decoration, a majority partner in the Thai-Myanmar joint venture renovating the Rosewood Yangon.

Kanok, the leading furniture and fittings supplier for the hotel industry in Thailand, had been doing business in Myanmar for more than a decade before deciding to invest in its first hotel project in 2014.

For me this project is not business. It is more like a dream that I have to make business sense out of, Supalak says.

The Rosewood Yangon is a massive five-storey construction taking up almost an entire block on Strand Road, its facade consisting of 22 marble Ionic columns.

The structure is unique, architecturally, because the building has two courtyards, giving it a figure-of-eight-like interior layout.

There will be a giant, raised ballroom, among other special features.

The Excelsior and Rosewood are entering the market with Myanmar’s tourism sector experiencing difficulties, thanks to the military’s brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslim communities in Rakhine State in August last year.

The crackdown sparked a human exodus of 700,000 refugees across the border into Bangladesh, reviving the country’s pariah status in the realm of human rights.

Widespread coverage of the atrocities committed by the military had only a moderate impact on last year’s tourism arrivals, but is starting to be felt more severely this year, especially among Western tourists.

Government figures show tourist arrivals in Myanmar dropped year-on-year by 1 per cent in the first four months of 2018, but at Yangon International Airport there was a drop of 30 per cent from traditional Western markets, Europe, the US and Oceania.

Arrivals from Asia rose an average 10 per cent during the same period, with visitors from China jumping 31 per cent and from Thailand up 17 per cent.

In light of the decline in Western traffic, Yangon hoteliers are turning to the East this year.

The market is challenging as we have had a drop in arrivals and a growth in inventory, says Suki Singh, general manager of the Strand Hotel.

The core market for the Strand is Europe, North America and Oceania, but now we are also expanding into Asia.

For decades, The Strand could ask almost whatever it wanted for its 31 rooms and usually get it. But with greater competition in the luxury segment and the slowdown in Western arrivals, hotel rates have fallen 20 to 30 per cent this year, and even the Strand is starting to show some flexibility.

The Strand has started to be easier to work with,” says Phyoe Wai Yar Zar, managing director of Diethelm Travel Myanmar, a travel agency specialising in the European market.

Previously we would have to give a deposit for the confirmation of a booking, but now they have dropped that requirement.

The Strand, the Belmond Governor’s Residence (49 rooms) and The Savoy (30 rooms) have long monopolised the heritage hotel market in Yangon, but will face stiff competition when the Excelsior and Rosewood open. This is a welcome development for travel agencies such as Diethelm.

Our business at Diethelm is mainly based on telling stories, Phyoe Wai Yar Zar says. If a building has a story, it is easier for us to sell it.

Rosewood Yangon – the former New Law Courts building – has a uniquely interesting story. The building’s massive steel doors have been preserved, along with their somewhat intimidating scales of justice motifs, as have the sweeping staircases and spacious balconies of some of the more exclusive suites.

During the second world war, the Japanese transformed the building into the headquarters of their much-feared Kenpeitai, or secret police, and the structure was later the headquarters of the Burma Socialist Programme Party, the political arm of Myanmar’s former military strongman General Ne Win.

Management, however, is likely to emphasise the very modern amenities the Rosewood Yangon will boast.

We don’t want to become a stuffy museum, but together with the extensive events facilities, the amazing spa and stunning rooftop pool and bar, we want the hotel to reflect the dynamics of this great city, says Ed Brea, managing director of Rosewood Yangon.

We are aiming to be the epicentre of the local social life and the heart of Yangon.

The hotel has been working closely with heritage groups including Turquoise Mountain, which is currently renovating the city’s former Ministry of Hotels and Tourism building, and Doh Eain, a charity the hotel has hired to help tidy up, but sustain, local shops around the property.

It’s going to be a hell of a hotel, says Harry Wardill, country director for Myanmar of Turquoise Mountain. I just hope they can fill it.

Given the Rakhine incident, the Rosewood and the Excelsior will need to look to the Asian market to fill their rooms, at least this coming peak season – November to January.

Myanmar is still mainly a Western market, says Philippe Arnaud, general manager of Yangon Excelsior.

Now we have to switch. We are chasing the other side – the Asian market. We have started to focus on the Japanese market, the Chinese market – at least the FITs - foreign individual travellers.

I am looking for FITs from Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, all the cities around us, especially because they have direct flights now.

The hope is that well-heeled, cultured tourists from the region will be willing to pay top-dollar rates for these heritage hotels, although price slashing is already under way in Yangon.

Even if you drop your rates it won’t bring in any more business, because it’s a mindset, Arnaud says.

It’s an ethical decision – I’m not going to Myanmar because of the Rakhine situation. It’s not because prices have dropped by US$30 that people will come.

Rosewood is also targeting well-off Asian tourists, hoping that Yangon’s religious attractions such as the Shwedagon Pagoda and other Buddhist sites will prove a draw.

I have a feeling that we will bring the market to Myanmar, like rich Thai people, Supalak says.

The funny thing about Thai people is the richer they are the more superstitious they become. They will come every quarter just to go to the Shwedagon.


Tourism Observer

MYANMAR: Filipino Cuisine Goes To Yangon

With only 1,500 Filipino people working or living in Myanmar, why would one think that putting up a restaurant that offers Pinoy favorites such as adobo and kare-kare would be successful?

Ramon Fernando, one of the owners of My Adobo Plus, the first-ever Filipino restaurant in Myanmar, is well-aware that he could not count on the Filipino community in the bustling former Burmese capital for his business to be a hit and sustainable.

There are only about 1,500 Filipinos in Myanmar, 1,000 of which are in Yangon.

This number is not enough to make the resto sustainable so part of our marketing strategy is to introduce Pinoy food to Myanmar people, Fernando says.

I have been personally encouraged by friends to set up a Pinoy resto after they tasted food I’ve cooked for potluck parties.

The opportunity came when my landlady offered me to take over an existing Japanese resto that closed down last Nov. 2017, he says.

Why name the restaurant “My Adobo Plus”?

Because adobo is almost synonymous to Filipino cooking, Fernando said that foreigners who have tried it can easily identify to the dish.

Adobo is a well-known way of cooking meat, squid or even veggies.

We’ve had walk-in guests who know how adobo tastes, explained Fernando, who serves different variants of adobo such as chicken, pork, chicken feet, squid and kangkong.

Other Filipino dishes being served in the restaurant are nilagang baka, tinolang manok, lumpiang shanghai, tokwa’t baboy, itlog-maalat salad, chopsuey, lumpiang togue, turon espesyal and mais con hielo.

Just like in any business, it’s not always smooth-sailing especially in the beginning.

Getting the right ingredients such as atswete or annatto seeds for kare-kare, malunggay (moringa) and dahon ng sili (pepper leaves) for tinola, and ube ice cream for halo-halo can be a challenge , Fernando insists.

Good thing he and his partners can count on their three Filipina cooks to make their dishes taste as authentic as possible even though some of the distinct Filipino ingredients are not readily available.

One of them, Maricel Umali, 33, said she’s very happy to be working in a Filipino restaurant because it feels like we’re just cooking at home in the Philippines.

It’s so nice here especially every Sunday when we would have a lot of Filipino diners, they’d come here after church and would have a get-together, she said.

One time, we had an American customer who was so happy to find a Filipino restaurant here in Yangon.

He said he’s been to Cebu and that he misses Filipino food and has been longing to eat it again, recalled Elsie one of the cooks in My Adobo Plus.

The business may be new and still struggling but it’s little by little getting known and has in fact been receiving bulk orders as of late from corporations in and around Yangon.

As in any business, profit is the primary motivating factor but then this is balanced off by giving quality service to guests and providing employment to our fellow Filipinos, said Fernando.

My Adobo Plus can be found on Bo Yar Nyunt Street, Yaw Man Gyi Qtr, Dagon Tsp, Yangon. It is open every day from 10 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 9pm.


Tourism Observer

SAUDI ARABIA: Emirates To Provide Extra Flights For To Cater For Hajj Season

Emirates will be operating 45 additional flights to Jeddah and 12 additional flights to Medina from 17 August until 11 September to help serve the 2 million pilgrims expected to travel to the Holy City of Mecca during Hajj this year.

These services will run in parallel with Emirates’ regularly scheduled services to Jeddah.

The airline will also be operating its A380 to Medina which will also support the increased demand during this period.

The additional services are available to travellers holding a valid Hajj visa.

This year, top inbound destinations Emirates is expecting Hajj pilgrims to come from are Yangon, Manchester, Mauritius, Jakarta, Karachi, Lagos and Nairobi.

Adil Al Ghaith Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran said: Travelling for Hajj is a unique experience for Muslims around the world, and we expect over 20,000 pilgrims to travel with us this year. With a sizeable increase in demand for air travel during this period.

Emirates is helping to make the journey more seamless for the scores of pilgrims making their way to the Holy City of Mecca.

Whether it’s in the air or on the ground, Emirates aims to provide all its customers with the best experience in line with their faith, particularly at this significant time and important journey.

On the ground, Emirates has appointed a dedicated group of airport staff to seamlessly facilitate the passenger ground experience for Hajj. In addition, dedicated check-in counters have been set up for Hajj passengers in Dubai.

In the air, several initiatives have been planned in keeping with the values and traditions that pilgrims uphold when travelling for Hajj.

Extra provisions will be made to accommodate Hajj traveller needs such as performing ablutions, advising passengers about Al Miqat and Ihram (the phase when pilgrims enter a state of sanctity) and other arrangements that will help ease their journey.

Emirates’ award winning ice system will also feature a special Hajj video that covers safety, Hajj formalities and information about performing the Hajj pilgrimage.

Pilgrims will also be able to tune into the Holy Quran channel.

On flights from Jeddah, Hajj passengers can bring up to 5 litres of holy water (Zamzam) which will be placed in special areas in the cargo hold.

As with all Emirates flights, Hajj passengers will enjoy extra generous Emirates baggage allowance of up to 35kg in Economy Class, 40kg in Business Class and 50kg in First Class.


Tourism Observer

MYANMAR: Black Box From Crashed Plane Recovered

A Myanmar ship has retrieved the black box of a plane that crashed into the Andaman Sea with 122 people on board, the army said Sunday, raising hopes of discovering the cause of the tragedy.

The military aircraft plunged into the sea during a routine flight from the southern city of Myeik to Yangon on June 7.

Most of its passengers were the wives and children of servicemen.

Navy vessels and fishing trawlers have so far recovered 92 bodies plus some pieces of plane debris from off the coast of the southern town of Dawei.

Last week a fishing boat snagged a piece of the Shaanxi Y8's tail.

On Sunday Myanmar's army chief said the black box, which consists of a digital flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder, had been brought aboard a military vessel.

The part of the tail of the Y-8 plane, which included the Flight Data Recorder and the Cockpit Voice Recorder, was successfully put on a ship in the afternoon, the office of the army chief said in a Facebook post, alongside photos of the bright orange recording units.

After finding that part of the plane, we are now in the process of finding out why the plane crash happened, the statement added.

It did not say how long it might take to decipher the black box data, a process that can take days or even weeks.

There has been no official explanation for the cause of the crash.

The Chinese-made aircraft was less than two years old and had only flown some 800 hours, according to the military.

Experts say black boxes explain the causes of nearly 90 percent of plane crashes.

MYANMAR: Mass Funeral For Victims Of Plane Crash

Heartbroken relatives gathered Friday for the funeral rites of the first victims of a military plane crash off Myanmar's southern coast, as search teams battled heavy rains and churning waves to find scores more people presumed lost at sea.

Most of the 31 dead retrieved from the Andaman Sea so far have been women and children after a search by navy ships, planes and helicopters hampered by sweeping rains.

A total of 122 people were on board the Chinese-made Shaanxi Y8 military aircraft when it crashed on Wednesday during a routine flight from the southern city of Myeik to Myanmar's commercial hub of Yangon.

Hundreds gathered in a cemetrey outside Dawei town on Friday afternoon to bid goodbye to loved ones whose bodies had been pulled from the water the previous day on San Hlan beach, a two hour drive away.

Chanting from Buddhist monks filled a hall used for the ceremonies as 10 flimsy wooden coffins were laid out.

One woman fainted and had to be carried out and many others broke down wailing as the service went on.

Mourners then moved outside and watched as black smoke from the cremated coffins poured out of nearby towers, drifting across the sky.

My husband identified my nephew's body. I'm so sorry, said a tearful Khine Zar Win, who lost her youngest brother, his wife and two-year-old nephew in the plane crash.

Another mourner, Aye Aye, said five members of her friend's family were killed in the crash.

I couldn't sleep when I heard about them, she said. We lived together like a family for 15 years in the military before my husband retired.

I have no words, added one woman, whose daughter and grandson were on the plane.We are so sad.

More than half of the passengers on the aircraft were from military families, including 15 children, according to the army. The rest were soldiers and flight crew.

The military said on Friday it had identified 16 of the dead so far.

There has been no official explanation for the cause of the crash, one of several deadly incidents involving Myanmar military aircraft in recent years.

Monsoon season brings heavy rains and strong winds every year, but there were no reports of major storms along the plane's flight route when it went missing.

Fishing boats helped navy vessels and military aircraft as they continued to hunt for the wreckage on Friday, despite tides reaching over 2.5 metres, the military said in a statement.

But by the afternoon officials had not announced the retrieval of any more bodies.

We are having difficulty because of the strong winds and tide, Major Aung Win, police chief of Launglon township said.

The military said the aircraft was flying above 18,000 feet (5,486 metres) when it lost contact with air traffic control at 1:35 pm (07:05 GMT) on Wednesday.

The military has described the captain as a seasoned pilot with more than 3,000 hours flying experience.

Gerry Soejatman, an independent aviation expert based in Jakarta, said initial information indicated something went wrong not long after or just before reaching cruising altitude.

Myanmar's former junta bought several Y8s, four-engine turboprop jets used for medium range flights -- during their 50 years of isolated rule, when they were squeezed by Western sanctions.

The plane's maker, China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation, has pledged to assist with investigations into the crash.

Several pieces of debris that appeared to be from the wreckage, including tyres, life jackets and some luggage, have also been salvaged.

MYANMAR: More Bodies And A tyre Found In The Andaman Sea

The Myanmar army on Thursday said that 10 bodies had been removed out of the Andaman Sea after a military plane with 120 on board crashed on Wednesday. The corpses retrieved included five children, Myanmar’s Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hling’s office said.

However, a local police official said the number of bodies recovered was 20. He said bodies were still being brought to the shores nearby.

Luggage, safety jackets and a tyre presumed to be from the aircraft’s wheel were also found during operations on Thursday morning.

The Chinese-made plane had crashed on Wednesday in the waters off Launglon, near the city of Dawei in Myanmar.

Navy ships and air force planes have been engaged in rescue operations since late Wednesday afternoon, when the plane disappeared during a routine flight from the southern city of Myeik to the commercial hub of Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar.

The plane was flying between the southern city of Myeik and Yangon at more than 18,000 feet when it went missing. More than half the passengers were from military families, including 15 children, 35 soldiers and 14 crew members, the army chief’s office said in a statement.

The military on Thursday said the pilot was Lieutenant Colonel Nyein Chan, who had more than 3,000 hours of flying experience.

The reason for the plane crash is not yet known.

Myanmar has had several plane crashes in the past years. In February 2016, the crew of an air force plane died when the aircraft crashed in Nay Pyi Taw, the country’s capital.

In June, three officers were killed when a military helicopter crashed in central Myanmar. An Air Bagan commercial aircraft made an emergency landing in 2012 and burst into flames, killing two people.

MYANMAR: Bodies Retrieved From Military Plane Debris

Hundreds of people gathered on a beach in southern Myanmar on Thursday desperately waiting for news of their loved ones as the first bodies arrived from the wreck of a military plane that crashed with more than 120 people on board.

Navy ships and air force planes have been scouring the waves since Wednesday afternoon, when the aircraft disappeared en route from the southern city of Myeik to the commercial hub of Yangon.

By mid-afternoon the commander-in-chief's office said 29 corpses 20 women, one man and eight children had been retrieved from the sea after a navy vessel discovered wreckage from the plane off the coastline near Dawei town.

Hundreds of locals, relatives and NGO workers clasping umbrellas watched as a fishing boat laden with the dead pulled up to San Hlan beach, where they were unloaded by NGO workers and uniformed soliders wearing masks and gloves.

29 corpses of different sizes, wrapped in black and white plastic bags, being brought onshore from the boat.

My cousin's sister's family was in the plane crash her husband, her child and herself, said Kyaw Swar Myint, 44, from Dawei.

We heard news that the helicopter was now transporting about 20 dead bodies to the beach, so we are waiting here.

A military officer said strong currents has made it hard for boats to reach the shore, so many of the bodies may have to be airlifted to land.

The Chinese-made Shaanxi Y8 plane was carrying a total of 122 people when it disappeared on Wednesday afternoon during a routine flight, according to the army chief.

More than half of the passengers were from military families, including 15 children, along with 35 soldiers and 14 crew members, the army chief's office said in a statement.

Some were travelling for medical check-ups or to study in Yangon.

The office of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi posted a statement expressing condolences to the victims.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered to help in recovery efforts, while the US embassy sent sympathies to the families of those lost in the "tragedy".

It is monsoon season in Myanmar, but there were no major storms reported along the aircraft's flight path on Wednesday afternoon.

The military said the plane was flying at over 18,000 feet (5,486 metres) when it lost contact with air traffic control at 1:35 pm (07:05 GMT) on Wednesday, about half an hour after takeoff.

Gerry Soejatman, an independent aviation expert based in Jakarta, said the information indicated something went wrong not long after or just before reaching cruising altitude.

The military named the captain as "seasoned" pilot Lieutenant Colonel Nyein Chan, who it said had more than 3,000 hours of flying experience.

He was flying the Chinese-made, four-engine Y8 turboprop, a medium-range transport plane based on the Soviet Antonov An-12, which has had numerous crashes over the decades.

Myanmar's former junta bought several Y8s during their 50 years of isolated rule, when they were squeezed by Western sanctions.

The plane's maker, China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation, in a statement pledged to assist with investigations into the crash.

The military said the plane that crashed was delivered in March 2016 and had a total of 809 flying hours.

The debris including two tires presumed to be from the plane were brought to shore before search efforts wrapped for the day -- was found in the Andaman Sea, north of the last known location of Malaysia Airlines flight 370.

That plane went missing in March 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board, but no wreckage has ever been found.

Myanmar's military fleet has a chequered recent history of plane crashes.

A five-strong crew died when an air force plane burst into flames soon after taking off from the capital Naypyidaw in February last year.

Three army officers were also killed in June when their Mi-2 helicopter crashed into a hillside and burst into flames in south-central Bago.

MYANMAR: Remains Of Military Plane Found In The Andaman Sea

Pieces of a Myanmar military plane which went missing with more than 100 soldiers and family members aboard were found in the Andaman Sea late Wednesday, a local official said.

Navy ships and aircraft had been searching since the afternoon when the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers.

More than a dozen children were believed to be among the passengers on the plane travelling from the southern city of Myeik to Yangon.

Now they have found pieces of the damaged plane in the sea 136 miles (218 km) away from Dawei city, said Naing Lin Zaw, a tourism official in Myeik, adding the navy was still searching the sea.

An air force source confirmed that a navy search and rescue ship had found pieces of the plane in the sea an hour's flight south of Yangon, Myanmar's commercial capital.

The commander in chief's office said the plane lost contact at about 1:35 pm (07:05 GMT) off Myanmar's southern coast.

There was conflicting information about the number of people on board.

Giving an updated figure, the office said 106 passengers were on board soldiers and family members along with 14 crew.

The air force source said more than a dozen of those on board were children.

Four naval ships and two air force planes were sent to search for the plane, which was flying at an altitude of more than 18,000 feet (5,486 metres).

It is monsoon season in Myanmar but there were no reports of bad weather at the time the plane went missing.

The plane was a Y-8F-200 four-engine turboprop, a Chinese-made model still commonly used by Myanmar's military for transporting cargo.

The army said it was delivered in March last year and had logged 809 flying hours.

The former military junta bought many of the aircraft from Myanmar's giant neighbour during their 50 years of isolated rule, when they were squeezed by Western sanctions.

A former executive at the aviation ministry said many of the aircraft in Myanmar's fleet were old and decrepit.

Myanmar air force has very bad safety performance, he said, asking to remain nameless.

Myanmar's military fleet has a chequered recent history of plane crashes.

All five crew died when an air force plane burst into flames soon after taking off from the capital Naypyidaw in February last year.

Three army officers were killed in June when their Mi-2 helicopter crashed into a hillside and burst into flames in south-central Bago.

A surge in demand for air travel as Myanmar opens up has stretched the impoverished country's aviation infrastructure, in particular in remote airports.

Commercial jets have also suffered frequent incidents.

The worst in recent years was in 2012 when an Air Bagan jet crash-landed in thick fog and burst into flames short of the runway at Heho airport, killing one passenger and a motorcyclist on the ground.

ASIANA AIRLINES Ends Denpasar And Yangon Service In Late-Feb 2016

ASIANA AIRLINES from 01MAR16 is cancelling 2 destinations in Asia, as it ends service to Denpasar and Yangon. The airline currently operates both routes with 767-300ER, twice a week.

Existing schedule as follow.

Seoul Incheon – Denpasar
OZ763 ICN1905 – 0125+1DPS 763 47
OZ764 DPS0235 – 1035ICN 763 15

Seoul Incheon – Yangon
OZ769 ICN1920 – 2230RGN 763 36
OZ770 RGN0040 – 0840ICN 763 47

SOUTH KOREA: Asiana Suspends Flights To Vladivostok, Bali and Yangon Due To Lack Of Demand.

Asiana is set to temporarily suspend flights to Vladivostok, Bali and Yangon due to lack of demand. Flights to Vladivostok are due to be halted on 1st Feb 2016, and flights to Bali and Yangon will be halted on 1st March 2016.

That’s not to say this will be a permanent change, and you may still be able to pick up some last minute tickets for the 5 star airline before the routes are suspended.

Asiana Airlines is South Korea's No. 2 full-service carrier, and currently operates two weekly flights to Southeast Asian destinations & four weekly flights to the Russian port city.

For passengers that have already booked tickets on these Asiana routes, Asiana has taken steps to ensure the flights would be fulfilled on use other airlines. The company also added that it will give full refunds to people opting to cancel flights.

Korean Air Lines Co. operates flights to all three cities.

"Every effort will be made to reduce passenger inconvenience," Asiana said.

Asiana is also awaiting regulatory approval of its plan to set up another low cost carrier.

The new company, to be called Air Seoul, would be a wholly owned subsidiary that would operate flights to China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Should permission be granted, it would be the company's second no-frills airline after Air Busan.