Anger at Austrian airline's Burma flights

Tour firms fear the Bali bomb will hurt sales to Asia

Human rights activists have condemned Austrian Airlines Group for launching direct flights to Burma.

One of the group's three airlines, Lauda Air, became the first European airline to offer a direct flight to Burma, when it launched a weekly service to the capital, Rangoon, earlier this month.

Lauda Air is aiming to attract holiday makers with a return flight stopping in the Thai resort island of Phuket. It is marketing the new route in tandem with Austrian tour operators.

The triangular route will give passengers "the opportunity to effortlessly combine cultural and beach holidays," the airline said on its website.

Call for boycott

The decision to fly to Burma - which is also known as Myanmar - ignores the "human rights crisis" there and is "based purely on commercial economic interests," according to Forum Asia.

Burma's military government has been widely condemned by human rights groups since it refused to hand over power to the victorious National League for Democracy (NLD) after a general election in 1990.

Burma is one of the poorest countries in Asia

In particular, they have campaigned for a boycott of Burma by foreign firms, saying trade and investment help to support the military regime without benefiting ordinary Burmese.

The United Nations envoy to Burma has been exploring the prospect of talks between the military junta and NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released from house arrest in May.

'Not enough progress'

The envoy, Razali Ismail, expressed disappointment with the lack of progress earlier this month.

The military government has freed 115 political prisoners this month, shortly after the envoy's criticisms.

Forum Asia said it wants to see "substantial improvement" in human rights and democracy before supporting commercial ties with the country.

"The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been engaging Burma for years now and there has been no improvement in the humanitarian or human rights situation," it said on its website.

Lauda Air said it has picked Burma as one of three new destinations in its winter schedule as it "can give us a good idea of new trends in travel".

It is promoting Burma's "unspoilt landscapes" and "stunning beaches" and offering upmarket extras on its planes, such as in-flight email.

The airline and travel industries' struggle to restore passenger numbers to pre-11 September levels received a setback from the Bali bombing in the summer.