Singapore Airlines (SIA) launched its maiden flight to Yangon Sunday, bringing the total amount of the foreign airlines flying from Myanmar to 18, according to tourism sources Sunday.

Partly taking over its regional unit Silk Air, the SIA will offer daily flight service to the Myanmar former capital using Boeing 777-200 aircraft.

A ceremony to mark SIA's inaugural flight was held at the Yangon International Airport.

Currently, Silk Air operates 16 flights a week to Yangon with single-aisle Airbus A320 and will continue to take nine of the flights after SIA starts its services.

There had been four foreign airlines launching their maiden flights to Yangon one after another in September-October, namely Korean Airlines (KAL) from South Korea, Qatar Airlines from the Middle East, EVA Airlines from Chinese Taipei and All Nippon Airways (ANA).

More airlines, which are prepared to fly Myanmar in the following months, include Hong Kong-based Dragon Air, Condor Airlines and Trans Asia Airways, sources said.

Of them, the Dragon Air will start its direct flight between Hong Kong and Yangon on Jan. 9, 2013 for four flights a week, using Airbus A321 jets.

Meanwhile, Myanmar's national carrier, the Myanmar Airways International (MAI), will also launch direct flight between Yangon and Hong Kong before the end of this year.