Amata Public Holding Limited is planning to provide sightseeing services to public using helicopters and sea-airplanes at islands near Kawthoung, Taninthayi region, according to Sai Kham Park Pha, a consultant for Amata Aviation.

“We are discussing with the Department for Civil Aviation (DCA) to obtain air operator certificate (AOC) for the services. We intend to provide services starting October next year,” he said.

The Amata Aviation is a subsidiary of the Amata Public Holding Limited and the company is also building two holiday resorts on Balar and Pho Ni islands in the Mergui archipelago. The resorts will be opened in 2019.

“We are developing two projects at islands in Mergui archipelago with the approval from Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC). It will take about three hours boat ride to get to the islands from Kawthoung. We can get there in only 15 minutes with helicopter. The resorts need helicopter services,” said Managing Director Lin Htet from LTR Pte. Ltd, which is a company representing Bell Helicopter in Myanmar.

Bell-505 is a five-seat aircraft and is mainly used in the tourism industry in Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Test flights on the Bell 505 helicopter took place at the Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw in early October.

“We see a lot of potential in Myanmar as a developing country and believe businesses will grow as the economy opens up. Myanmar needs to improve infrastructure like roads, trains and more domestic aviation,” said Eric Ng, Business Development Manager of Singapore-based Bell Helicopter Asia Pte Ltd.

The helicopter's open cabin layout with forward facing seats are designed for the passengers to have clear sightseeing views and it has fully flat floor and wide doors for the convenience of its passengers, according to Amata Aviation.