Golden Myanmar Airlines (GMA) has expanded its fleet to three aircraft with plans to offer more frequent flights to more destinations. In an interview with The Myanmar Times, the company’s CEO U Kyaw Nyein cited rising demand from Chinese passengers and development of new tourist destinations in Dawei and Kawthaung as motivations for the expansion.

The number of annual domestic passengers has indeed risen slightly, according to data from Yangon International Airport. However, the number of western passengers has fallen, and the industry has suffered major setbacks in the last two years. Five domestic airlines–FMI Air, Asian Wings Airways, Air Mandalay, Air Bagan, Apex and FMI Air–have shuttered, and the industry has also been plagued with accidents. Indeed, the latest of these befell GMA when the nose wheel on one of its aircraft snapped upon landing. There were no injuries, but the incident caused a freeze on all outgoing flights at the Yangon International Airport.

U Kyaw Naing said the company is banking on a projected rise in tourism numbers, although the growth of Myanmar’s tourism industry has been disappointing in the years following its transition to democracy, and the industry suffered an additional blow following the 2017 Rakhine crisis on the western border. Worse still, a recent outbreak of violence in Shan State has cut off travel to some of Myanmar’s most popular destinations.

Nevertheless, GMA remains optimistic in the future of Myanmar’s aviation industry as the tourism season begins. “We see an improvement in terms of passenger numbers now compared to previously. We noticed that more round-trip tickets are being bought. And there is some improvement in terms of foreign tourist numbers,” U Kyaw Neyin said.