JAKARTA: Sarawak-owned AirBorneo Airways plans to launch direct flights between Kuching and Jakarta this month as its second international route, seeking to tap an existing market of about 100,000 passengers annually with its full-service offering.
Its chief executive officer, Megat Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin, said the airline aims to attract travellers currently using existing services while expanding overall demand through additional capacity and premium travel options, including business class.
"So with more capacity put into the market, there's also a player now that is providing full service products as well. So there’s a business class market that will also want to travel on AirBorneo,” he said at a media roundtable here on Friday.
Megat Ardian said the proposed Jakarta service would initially utilise the airline's existing two leased jet aircraft on a rotational basis, ahead of plans to expand its jet fleet to five by early next year.
"By the start of next year, we should have a total of five. So we are growing. First is lease, and then eventually we go into a financial lease, and then I think longer term, that’s when we either lease or own,” he said.
Expressing optimism about the Indonesian market, Megat Ardian said AirBorneo would target various passenger segments, including business and government travellers, medical tourists, leisure visitors and those visiting friends and relatives.
He said Jakarta would serve as the airline’s initial entry point into Indonesia, with other cities potentially considered as its operations and passenger demand develop.
AirBorneo currently operates wet-leased Boeing 737-800 aircraft, each configured with 12 business-class and 150 economy-class seats, for its jet services.
The airline began jet operations on July 20 with its Kuching-Kuala Lumpur service, followed by Kuching-Singapore on July 22, marking its first international route.
Megat Ardian said AirBorneo has carried 43,502 passengers across approximately 500 jet flights since July, achieving an on-time performance rate exceeding 95 per cent.
On its Rural Air Services (RAS) operations, he said the airline carried 547,969 passengers across 22,532 flights between January and October this year, recording an on-time performance rate exceeding 93 per cent. - Bernama
