March 12 – The new international terminal (T1) of Yangon International Airport (YIA) was opened in the presence of President Thein Sein. Existing international terminal, which is also managed by Asia World Group, will be rebranded as Terminal 2. This newest international terminal is the first of the three planned to be built.
Opening of T1 marks the first phase of Yangon International Airport’s expansion to boost passenger handling capacity. Yangon International Airport will be a key gateway for travelers coming to Myanmar for business and leisure; equipped to handle up to 20 million passengers per annum.
YIA’s expansion comprises of three phases – in Phase 1, T1 will be operational from March 2016, while works for a new Domestic Terminal have already begun. Phase 2 will see an extension to the current T1 as well as the construction of a VIP and CIP Terminal. In the last Phase, T1 will be further expanded with the construction of a multi-storey carpark.
The airport is presently Myanmar’s largest, with the capacity to handle up to 20 million passengers a year. With Air Asia, Emirates Airlines and Hong Kong Express already launching flight routes to YIA, the airport will eventually employ up to 2,000 employees.
