Yangon Airways Logo PNG
Yangon Airways logo before 2019 was an ingenious blend of cultural references and symbolic elements. The emblem featured a winged elephant, which isn’t just an imaginative design but an homage to the myths of Myanmar. According to these myths, Airavata is the king of all elephants and is believed to have had progeny with large wings capable of flight.
The animal in the emblem is painted white with black outlines. White traditionally symbolizes purity, while the black outlines add definition, making the figure stand out. The emblem is set against a yellow circle. Yellow is another color rich with meaning, often associated with happiness, positivity, and enlightenment.
Adjacent to the yellow circle are two parallelograms—one red and the other green. These parallelograms echo the colors of Myanmar’s flag, integrating a sense of national identity into the emblem. Each color in the flag of Myanmar has its significance: green represents peace, red stands for courage, and yellow signifies solidarity. By incorporating these colors, the emblem acknowledges the cultural heritage and subtly hints at the company’s values.
When the company was known as Yangon Airways, this design served as a powerful visual narrative. Each component has its place and meaning, contributing to the overall coherence of the design. The winged elephant symbolizes not just the capacity for flight but also the freedom and grandeur associated with it. The white hue of the elephant paired with the bright yellow circle suggests an atmosphere of serenity and optimism, highly valued in air travel.
No detail is trivial; every element carries weight. For example, by echoing the colors of the Myanmar flag, the parallelograms tell a story of national pride and identity. This is a strategic way of grounding the brand in its cultural context, making it more relatable to its customer base and appealing to a sense of patriotism.
Even the choice to have the animal inside a circle is telling. Circles often represent unity and wholeness; in this case, they combine all the individual elements to form a complete and balanced design.
Yangon Airways: Brand overview
| Founded: | 1996 |
| Founder: | Air Thanlwin Holding Company Ltd. |
| Headquarters: |
Yangon, Myanmar |
| Website: | airthanlwin.com |
The turn of the century saw Yangon Airways expand its horizons by initiating international flights in 2001. The airline extended its services to countries such as Thailand, Bangladesh, and India. To keep up with this expansion, the airline augmented its fleet by the mid-2000s to include larger aircraft like the Boeing 737-800 and ATR 72 turboprops.
However, by the late 2000s, Yangon Airways was engulfed by financial troubles, mainly due to the economic challenges and international sanctions imposed on Myanmar. Despite an attempt to suspend operations temporarily and recover in 2010, the airline could not bounce back and ceased operations permanently the following year.
In its heyday, Yangon Airways conducted scheduled flights to more than 15 destinations within Myanmar and other locations across Asia. Despite its relatively brief tenure, the airline significantly contributed to developing air connectivity in Myanmar as the country’s aviation industry expanded in the late 1990s.
Meaning and History
