AirBorneo to acquire 3 jets, expand to SEA destinations by 2027
- BT
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
KUCHING, 20 January 2026: The top management of state airline, AirBorneo, headed by its Chief Executive Officer, Megat Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin, paid a courtesy call to Sarawak’s Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah at his office here in Petra Jaya, Kuching yesterday afternoon.
“I am happy to welcome the management team of AirBorneo to my ministry today, so soon after the official launching of the state airline. We just concluded a riveting discussion on upcoming plans for AirBorneo, most of which we are unable to share to the public just yet, but rest assured that behind the scenes, exciting progress is happening,” shared Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim during the press conference. “AirBorneo’s expansion will be implemented in phases, in accordance with board approval, fleet availability and aviation regulations, but for the next year, at least 3 jet aircrafts are in the pipeline.”
The minister also shared some notable milestones AirBorneo hope to achieve in coming years, which includes flights between East and Peninsular Malaysia as early as this year, regional destinations in Southeast Asia by 2027 and hopefully the whole of Asia, namely South Korea, Japan and China by 2029.
During yesterday's press conference, Abdul Karim reiterated that AirBorneo, like other government-backed airlines like Qatar Airways and Emirates, is a strategic infrastructure built for broader economic impact and tourism impact, instead of profits. “As we reside on an island, flights are a necessity and the planes that come to Sarawak, we consider them important infrastructure, like bridges.”
“We recently had our cutover on January 14, 2026, which includes MASwings’ former flight and counter operations and the switching of flight codes MH to MY. Currently, we have 8 ATR planes and 6 Twin Otters flying out of 2 hubs, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, continuing the Rural Air Services (RAS) previously run by MASwings,” shared AirBorneo CEO, Megat Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin, who added that all services are currently running without disruptions.
Meanwhile, the minister also shared his request that AirBorneo be considered as an official airline partner for the upcoming SEA Games happening in September 2027. The move, which is line with Sarawak major role as in co-hosting most of the SEA Games events, was brought up during discussions with the then Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia, Hannah Yeoh and the national sports body.
“The total cost of organizing the 2027 SEA Games is RM700 million, and Sarawak has signed an official guarantee to allocate RM350 million, as a joint commitment with the federal government as a sign of the state’s confidence in organizing regional-level sports events,” said Abdul Karim. Apart from AirBorneo, he also hopes that state-owned broadcasting station, TVS, will also be given a role in the 2027 SEA Games.
“Currently, we are working on AirBorneo’s network plans, but essentially, both the board and the management are committed to serving the community, strengthening regional connectivity, building a resilient airline and growing sustainably. Everything we do, and every decision we make, will be done with Sarawak at its heart,” concluded Megat Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin.
