While Myanmar looks set to become Asia’s next aviation growth market, the Ministry of Transport revealed that it also plans to transform the country into the region’s main aviation hub.

Minister of Transport U NyanHtunAung, at the Myanmar Civil Aviation Development Conference at Traders Hotel, said the government has “set a vision that aims at making Myanmar the major logistics hub in Asia”. “For fulfilling this vision, we have defined a mission that will drive us to develop and strengthen the safe, secure, efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly aviation industry in the country,” he said.

He said the ministry plans to implement four strategic plans to achieve its goals: pursuing liberalisation of economic regulations, establishing new air linkages to worldwide destinations, promoting national airlines and improving infrastructure. U Tin NaingTun, the director general of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), said the ministry will first conclude air service agreements with new bilateral partners and revise some old agreements with more liberal provisions. “Then we will establish new air linkages in line with the second strategic plan. We have linked to some emerging economies like India, China and Japan at present. In the foreseeable future, we will expand our air route networks to access worldwide destinations, especially to Europe, the US and Australia,” he said. In order to speed up the plans; he said the ministry is launching a public-private partnership scheme “in accord with the country’s economic trends”. According to DCA statistics, total passenger traffic was 6.49 million in 2013, a 16.5-percent increase from 2012.