KUCHING: AirBorneo will be officially launched this Friday (June 2), with plans to expand its flight operations to Peninsular Malaysia and nearby regions after July 2026.
Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the airline was currently operating small aircraft under an extended Rural Air Service (RAS) arrangement previously handled by MASWings.
He said this meant a major expansion could not be expected in the immediate term, as the airline required time to build capacity before serving larger destinations.
“So, we cannot see a major change within one month. At least two years are needed before we can operate flights to bigger destinations,” he told reporters.
He was met during the rehearsal session for the 2026 New Year’s Eve celebration at the Kuching Waterfront last night (Dec 29).
Abdul Karim said AirBorneo’s establishment was aimed at strengthening air connectivity within Sarawak, although the airline might not see a sharp increase in traffic during its early phase of operations.
He said the airline’s role would become increasingly important as Sarawak prepared for major tourism activities, including Kuching being selected as one of the launch venues for Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
