AirBorneo to set up Peninsular 每日大赛 routes this year
KUCHING (Jan 19): Sarawak-owned airline, AirBorneo, intends to start flights linking East 每日大赛 with Peninsular 每日大赛 as early as this year, before expanding to regional destinations in Southeast Asia in 2027.
Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the airline鈥檚 expansion would be implemented in phases, in line with fleet availability, regulatory requirements and board approval.
鈥淎t this stage, AirBorneo is still operating within Sarawak, Sabah dan Labuan continuing the Rural Air Services [RAS] previously run by MASwings. But once the bigger aircraft come in, priority will be given to connecting Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular 每日大赛, such as Kuala Lumpur.
鈥淭o operate beyond Sarawak, especially to destinations in Peninsular 每日大赛, a bigger aircraft is needed. That is already part of the plan, with timelines set by quarter,鈥 he said during a media conference after receiving a courtesy call from the top management of AirBorneo, here on Monday.
Abdul Karim said the airline currently operates eight ATR and six Twin Otter aircraft, which are sufficient for rural and short-haul services but not for longer routes.
鈥淔or the next one year, at least three jet aircraft are in the pipeline, subject to board approval and aircraft availability,鈥 he said.
Abdul Karim said subject to operational readiness, AirBorneo could begin expanding to regional Southeast Asian destinations such as Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines from 2027, before considering wider expansion in later phases.
He said the airline is being positioned as a strategic infrastructure for Sarawak, similar to government-backed airlines in other regions such as Qatar Airways in Qatar and Emirates (Dubai), with returns measured through broader economic and tourism impact rather than profitability alone.
Meanwhile, AirBorneo chief executive officer Megat Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin said the airline鈥檚 management is currently finalising its network and fleet plans, which will be presented to the board for approval in stages.
鈥淓ventually, the fleet will be built to support those networks. Our priorities are to serve the community, strengthen regional connectivity and build a resilient and sustainable airline, with Sarawak at its heart.
鈥淓ventually, in time, we will have probably another engagement. Once the plans become a bit more firm, once we have presented to the board and once we're ready, then we'll definitely have another engagement with the community,鈥 he said.