Flights from Manaung, a town under junta control in Myanmar’s Arakan (Rakhine) State, to Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, are reportedly being sold at more than twice the official fare.
The junta announced that the Yangon–Manaung flight ticket price is 630,000 MMK per ticket, but passengers are reportedly paying around 1.5 million MMK to obtain a seat.
“Currently, a one-way flight from Manaung to Yangon costs around 1.5 million MMK, while the Yangon to Manaung fare is about 800,000 MMK. There is a significant gap between the official prices and what passengers are actually paying,” a Manaung resident told DMG.
Flights to and from Manaung were suspended after the 2021 coup and only resumed on April 24 following approval from junta leader-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing.
Flights from Yangon to Kyaukphyu and Sittwe in Arakan State typically connect onward to Manaung. Flights to Manaung operate three times a week, and tickets are sold through Myanmar National Airlines (MNA) and the Manaung Public Company.
“Even when tickets are booked 10 days in advance, they are often already sold out. This is mainly due to very high demand, which has driven prices up sharply. As a result, even if someone refuses to buy because of the price increase, someone else is usually ready to take the ticket,” another Manaung resident said.
Although the resumption of flights to Manaung is presented as a way to ease travel for locals, it appears to benefit ticket sellers more than passengers.
U Ba Shein, founder of the Rakhine Nationalities Party (RNP), promised during his election campaign in November last year that he would work to resume flights to Manaung. The flights eventually resumed five months later.
Critics argue that while the resumption of air services to Manaung is justified as a way to facilitate public travel, it primarily serves the junta’s military logistics.
“Whether the junta truly cares about the people can be questioned just by looking at current airfares. It has shown little real concern for civilians, including in Arakan, where airstrikes have caused civilian harm. The reopening of flights is widely seen as being driven more by its military needs than by public interest,” an Arakan young man noted.
Of the three townships in Rakhine State that remain under junta control and have not fallen to the Arakan Army (AA), fighting is ongoing in Kyaukphyu and Sittwe, while Manaung remains relatively quiet.
AA Commander-in-Chief Major General Twan Mrat Naing has pledged to bring all of Rakhine State under control before 2027.
