KUCHING: Sarawak-owned airline AirBorneo is eyeing further expansion within Southeast Asia and beyond after launching its Kuching-Jakarta route, says Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.
The Premier said the airline's next international destinations were likely to be Bangkok and South Korea by next year.
"Jakarta is our second route in Asean after Singapore. After this, once we have increased our aircraft, we are looking at the possibility of flying to Bangkok.
"Another destination we are considering is (South) Korea," he told reporters after sending off the inaugural Kuching-Jakarta flight at Kuching International Airport on Friday (Nov 13).
Abang Johari said AirBorneo had already held discussions on securing landing rights in Bangkok.
He said the route could be launched by April or May next year, ahead of the 2027 SEA Games which will be co-hosted by Sarawak.
"We are targeting the SEA Games and negotiating for AirBorneo to be one of its official carriers, because the opening ceremony will take place in Sarawak."
As for South Korea, Abang Johari said possible destinations were either Seoul or Jeju Island.
He said Jeju was being considered because it shares the same Unesco Global Geopark recognition as the Sarawak Delta Geopark.
"We aim to fly to (South) Korea by 2027, but we don't have an exact date yet. There's no rush," he added.
Meanwhile, AirBorneo said its Kuching-Jakarta service was built for growth in business and leisure travel in both directions.
"We are very glad to bring Kuching and Jakarta a little closer," the airline's chief executive officer Megat Ardian Aminuddin said.
"Jakarta is our first route into Indonesia and our third jet route since July. We see it as a link between neighbours rather than simply a market we fly into and we hope it serves business travellers, families and visitors in both directions."
He added that AirBorneo was now focusing on running the route reliably and growing it carefully.
The service operates three times a week on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays on a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
All-in one-way fares start from RM399 in economy and RM888 in business class.
