KUCHING: Sarawak-owned AirBorneo is still at the preliminary planning stage for expansion to serve regional destinations, says state Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin.
He said the airline, which took over from MASwings Sdn Bhd at the start of the year, was currently focusing on serving the existing rural air services (RAS) routes in Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan.
“We have to make sure the RAS is running smoothly and as seamlessly as possible. After that, we will be focusing on regional routes,” he said after a working visit to the Kuching International Airport here yesterday.
Lee said regional expansion involved regulatory compliance and approval for an airline operating licence as well as aircraft availability.
He said AirBorneo’s management was looking at the financial implications, market demand and type of aircraft for regional routes.
“We have not finalised everything. This is all preliminary planning. Certainly I think we will fly to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore before moving to other regional destinations.
“But for the service to start, we are subject to the type of aircraft, its availability and regulatory compliance,” he said.
Lee also said AirBorneo will introduce online check-in services soon for better convenience, noting that the check-in process is currently handled manually.
“We’re going to improve the functionality of the system so that passengers can check in online for ATR flights,” he said, referring to the twin-engine turboprop aircraft operated by AirBorneo.
However, he said online check-in will not be available for Twin Otter flights serving small rural airports due to limited operational and passenger capacity.
In addition, Lee said senior citizens aged 60 and above are entitled to a 50% discount on AirBorneo fares for RAS routes within Sarawak and Sabah.
“At the moment, senior citizens have to check in manually or contact the call centre when they check in to get the 50% discount.
“We’re going to make it online in the future so they can check in and get the discount,” he said.
AirBorneo launched its inaugural flights on Jan 2 after completing its acquisition of MASwings on New Year’s Day.
This followed the signing of a sale and purchase agreement between MASwings’ parent company, Malaysia Aviation Group, and the Sarawak government on Feb 12 last year.
