KUCHING: AirBorneo Airways (AirBorneo) will rationalise parts of its Rural Air Services (RAS) network, strengthen aircraft maintenance and progressively modernise its fleet as part of a long-term strategy to improve operational reliability following recent flight disruptions.
Chief executive officer Megat Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin acknowledged that the airline had experienced operational challenges since taking over the RAS network from MASwings on Jan 1 this year.
“We acknowledge the disruptions and we are progressively working on them,” he said during AirBorneo’s media roundtable here on Wednesday.
Megat Ardian said the airline’s immediate priority is to improve operational resilience by accelerating the delivery of aircraft spare parts, deploying technical personnel more quickly and working with additional suppliers to reduce maintenance turnaround time.
“It’s about getting the aircraft repaired faster and returning them to service as quickly as possible,” he said.
As part of the improvement programme, Megat Ardian said AirBorneo is reviewing selected routes with consistently low passenger demand.
Rather than discontinuing services, he said the airline plans to merge some flights and reduce frequencies on lower-load sectors to provide more time for aircraft maintenance while preserving essential air connectivity for rural communities.
“A revised RAS schedule is expected to be announced in the coming days following discussions with the Ministry of Transport Malaysia,” he said.
Megat Ardian said the operational improvements would be complemented by a fleet renewal programme involving eight new ATR 72-600 aircraft, replacing the airline’s ageing ATR 72-500 fleet on a one-for-one basis.
“Our first major decision was to sign for eight new ATR 72-600 aircraft. It is a one-for-one replacement programme,” he said.
Under the delivery schedule, two aircraft are expected to arrive in 2027, followed by four in 2028 and the remaining two in 2029.
AirBorneo currently operates a fleet of 14 turboprop aircraft comprising eight ATR 72-500s and six Twin Otters, providing essential connectivity to communities across Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan through 31 routes within Sarawak, six within Sabah and four interstate sectors.
Megat Ardian said the new aircraft would improve fleet reliability and reduce maintenance downtime at a time when airlines worldwide continue to face shortages of aircraft spare parts.
Looking ahead, he said AirBorneo also plans to integrate its RAS with its commercial jet network through a hub-and-spoke model, allowing passengers arriving on international flights to connect more seamlessly to rural destinations such as Mulu.
“The networks are not stand-alone. They feed into each other,” he said.
Meanwhile, Megat Ardian said the federal government’s RM209 million annual subsidy for RAS would continue, as it is dedicated solely to maintaining essential air connectivity to rural communities.
He also said discussions are underway with the federal government on a new agreement covering the RAS network, including the planned rationalisation of selected flight frequencies.
“The subsidy is specifically for Rural Air Services. It does not apply to our jet operations,” he said.
Megat Ardian said the airline’s commercial jet operations would continue to operate independently, with AirBorneo adopting a measured expansion strategy by starting with two Boeing 737-800 aircraft before progressively increasing the fleet to five by the end of 2027 and 17 by 2030.
“Starting with two aircraft allows us to be disciplined with our costs and operations before we scale up,” he said.
Responding to questions on rising fuel prices, Megat Ardian said fuel costs had already been incorporated into AirBorneo’s all-inclusive fares.
“When we say all-in, we mean all-in. Fuel surcharge is already included,” he said.
