Sabah Air urged to talk to Brunei Airlines on setting up airline

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Air Sdn Bhd should consider talking to Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) about its plans to set up an airline in Borneo.

This is because RBA is an established and successful airline, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Seri Panglima Yong Teck Lee said.

Yong pointed out that setting up an airline is not an easy feat to accomplish as it is much more complicated and risky.

There are more rules than land transport to abide by, he said during a press conference after launching SAPP’s “Sabah Economic Plan” here yesterday.

Yong was of the opinion that Sabah Air is not suited to start an airline because an airline has major risks.

“One miscalculation on the fuel prices will kill the company. It is the fuel price that is causing problem to AirAsia today,” he said.

According to Yong, in the past, when AirAsia took over MAS’ domestic route in Sabah with its subsidiary, FAX, there were so many problems at that time prompting him to propose that the State Government consider setting up some form of airline for Borneo.

“Tian Chua seems to have picked that up by having a Borneo Airlines. But we all know that an airline is not a simple thing, it is not a bus company … an airline is much more complicated and risky, there are more rules than land transport.

“So if some form of airline were to emerge in Borneo, I would feel that the first airline to talk to is Royal Brunei Airways (RBA) using Bandar Seri Begawan as a hub. RBA has this plan before, they want passengers coming to Sabah and Sarawak to stop over in Brunei. So it is possible that Brunei can be the hub. This is part of BIMP-EAGA,” he stressed.

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Sabah Air aims to be alternative airline for Sabahans

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Air Aviation Sdn Bhd aims to be the alternative airline for Sabahans to destinations in the region which Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will stop flying to.

According to its chairman, Datuk Yusoff Mohd Kasim, Sabah Air is currently looking at serving regional routes such as to Korea, Japan and Australia.

Yusoff in a statement recently said that in view of the fast developing scenario for Sabah, Sabah Air is confident to serve the State profitably when all relevant landing rights in Seoul, Haneda, Osaka and Perth (to and fro Kota Kinabalu) is given to it, which MAS is currently in the process of giving up.

Sabah Air is prepared to take over these routes and is making the necessary arrangements for the same, to be activated as soon as the ‘go ahead’ is given, he said, adding that the aviation company had been working internally on a comprehensive plan to start a scheduled flight service dedicated to the State and the region over the last three months.

The plan covers regional as well as domestic routes, and is in its final stages of maturity. Once the board gives an “Authority to Proceed”, Sabah Air will be officially applying to the Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia and Ministry of Transport for relevant approvals, Yusoff added.

Sabah Air, he pointed out, has the necessary experience and ability to solve this rapidly developing problem while consolidating its plan and execute the long-term practical solution for the State.

“We are strong in our conviction that all this can be achieved while staying true to the principle of inclusive development for all Sabahans,” he said, adding that the fountainhead of the plan is a three pronged strategy to fill the gap created, especially in the tourism sector in the immediate aftermath of incumbent service providers possibly pulling out of certain sectors.

“This pullout is expected to produce a massive backlash on the State’s economy in the short to medium term. Sabah Air has the necessary solution to address the long-term issues of international connectivity for the continued benefit of the State and its economy, at the same time bring the long isolated rural areas of the State into the mainstream; logistically and economically.

“Sabah Air agrees and is working in tandem with Warisan Harta Sdn Bhd’s current thinking on this matter, to find a practical and profitable solution for the long term,” he said.

According to Yusoff, Sabah Air’s strategy, includes addressing immediate issues faced by passengers who had booked air flights but are facing potential cancellations due to service providers pulling out of these sectors. Sabah Air is already in negotiations with potential aircraft lessors to fill the gap under the company’s Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) – Charter on a Wet Lease Basis.

Wet Lease, he explained, means the company will lease aircraft along with crew, maintenance and insurance.

Sabah Air is also in discussions with relevant authorities in the State tourism sector; government and operators to get an accurate picture of the tourism sector, their travel timelines and other respective details such as local destinations so on so forth, he said, adding that the information would then be put to effective use to solve the problem at the earliest.

“To address the long term needs of the state of Sabah in terms of connectivity to the relevant foreign destinations with a more permanent arrangement, Sabah Air will be effectively moving up the value chain to form a full-fledged airline to serve East Malaysia, and eventually the BIMP-EAGA region and possibly beyond.

“The main focus will be to provide an efficient logistical support for passengers and cargo; and connect this region to the rest of the world. To address the air connectivity issue for rural interiors of Sabah, with a customized and localized cost effective solution, and eventually duplicate the business model to other rural regions of East Malaysia,” he said.

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MASwings soars BIMP-EAGA way this coming Feb 1

MIRI: MASwings will spread it wings into Brunei, Pontianak, and Tarakan effective February 1 next year.

Its chief executive officer Datuk Capt Mohd Nawawi Awang said these new routes formed the initial phase of its expansion plans to penetrate the BIMP-EAGA region.

The Kota Kinabalu-Brunei and Kuching-Brunei sector will commence on February 1, to be followed by Kuching-Pontianak on February 6, and Kota Kinabalu-Tawau-Tarakan on February 16.

Speaking at the close of Golf Escapade Final Round at the Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club (EVGCC) here on Sunday, Nawawi believed that the availability of these flights would increase the mobility of people in Brunei, West and East Kalimantan, Sabah, and Sarawak.

“I believe there is a considerably big number of golfers in Brunei and Kalimantan who will travel to Sabah and Sarawak once we introduce the flights.

“Similarly, I am confident that some Sabahan and Sarawakians golfers will take the opportunity to travel to Brunei and Kalimantan to discover what they could offer to us.”

In view of that, he said MASwings planned to capitalise on the increasing popularity of golf in the region, especially in Sabah and Sarawak.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: MASwings soars BIMP-EAGA way this coming Feb 1

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MASwings to begin flying within BIMP-EAGA in February 2012

KUCHING: MASwings has been given the green light to fly within the BIMP-EAGA region early next year.

Transport Deputy Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said the Cabinet had approved MASwings’ application to expand its service to Brunei, Pontianak in Kalimantan, Indonesia and Davao in Southern Philippines.

“The flights will start in February. I was told that they are planning to fly from Kuching to Pontianak, Kuching to Brunei, and Kuching to Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Davao,” he told a press conference at Kuching International Airport yesterday.

Following the latest greenlight, MASwings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), is expected to fly the Bandar Seri Begawan-Davao City-Tarakan-Balikpapan (both in Kalimantan) sector from Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.

Abdul Rahim believed MASwings’ flights within BIMP-EAGA region would enhance commerce, trade and tourism for Sabah and Sarawak.

“MASwings ATR 72-500, which can accommodate about 70 passengers, are more suitable and efficient to serve this (BIMP-EAGA) region than if the sector is operated by bigger aircraft,” he added.

He said the Federal Government was fully committed to Sabah and Sarawak, especially in providing air connectivity.

He noted that the Government was paying RM150mil to MASwings in subsidy for the airline to operate the rural air services in Sabah and Sarawak.

“We subsidise MASwings’ flights to remote areas even if there is no passenger,” he said.

The recent share swap between MAS and AirAsia had created a lot uncertainty and anxiety among the state’s tourism players.

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MASwings to pick up from where MAS, AirAsia left off

KUCHING: The Federal Government has agreed to a state proposal to make MASwings a regional airline operating within the BIMP-EAGA region.

This was revealed by Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg.

However, he said the details of the operation would be communicated later as it would involve technical formalities.

He said he would meet his counterparts in Sabah to discuss the airline’s organisation structure and routes to enhance commerce, trade and tourism in Sabah and Sarawak, connections with neighbouring Kalimantan, Brunei and the Philippines and extensions to Australia.

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Sarawak government admits MAS-AirAsia share swap impacted tourism

KUCHING: The state government acknowledged that the recent MAS-AirAsia share swap had affected the state’s tourism sector.

“The lack of public information on the future plan of this joint collaboration between MAS and AirAsia has created anxiety among industry players.

“Furthermore, Sarawak has experienced cancellations of flights and this has caused inconvenience to the public,” noted Tourism Assistant Minister Datuk Talib Zulpilip at the State Legislative Assembly yesterday.

He was responding to state DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng (DAP-Bukit Assek) who asked how the collaboration had affected Sarawak both positively and adversely.

On Firefly ceasing to operate its Kuala Lumpur-Kuching and Johor Bahru-Kuching routes from Oct 31, Talib also noted that the move had undoubtedly left behind a vacuum.

“To address the issue, the state government has written to the federal government to express concern and displeasure on the lack of communication and consultation. The abrupt cancellation of firefly services after the announcement of the swap and collaboration between the two airlines do not augur well for the state.

“The state government has also initiated dialogues and meeting sessions to seek opportunities for foreign airlines to operate in Sarawak. The state government through Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd has offered attractive incentives such as three years free landing and parking fees and marketing support,” he said.

Talib said the government, however, had no intention to establish its own airlines.

“We are looking at various options including the positioning of MASWings as a regional airline to service Sarawak, Sabah and BIMP-Eaga region,” he added.

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MasWings eyes Brunei

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) subsidiary MasWings is in the midst of expanding its network of routes and destinations, with plans to introduce Brunei as a central "eastern hub" for international visitors in the BIMP-EAGA region being mooted for implementation next year.

The move could dramatically provide a significant impact on the frequency of visitors arriving at the Brunei International Airport.

The proposal to secure Brunei as the latest route could signal major progress and development because it will provide the new city code (BWN) more flexibility in terms of passengers' alternative routes and will offer visitors more opportunities to fly to Brunei which could subsequently further improve the country's tourism prospects.

However, accessibility and flexibility will not be the only benefits to be enjoyed by frequent and new visitors to Brunei, as travellers from nearby cities in both Sabah and Sarawak would have the added option of stopping over in Brunei before continuing their final leg of the journey towards other cities via Malaysia Airlines.

MasWings' proposed flights include daily flights to Kota Kinabalu and Brunei Darussalam-Kuching routes - and vice versa - three times a week, said Munirah Omar, MAS Executive, MasWings Division.

"We would definitely obtain our services once we receive approval from the Brunei Government. We will offer afternoon (around 1pm) and evening flights for Kota Kinabalu. The (flight) times are yet to be advised," she said in an interview with the Weekend Bulletin yesterday.

According to Munirah, Brunei will be a favourable destination given the fact that other major airlines in the region regularly fly in and out of the country. "By having these services in Brunei, we hope that it would attract easier international connections out of Kota Kinabalu," she said.

MasWings is currently waiting for approval from the government after having submitted the proposal to begin its operations in the Sultanate as the latest to join a host of destinations in the BIMP-EAGA region.

MasWings, which travels to 22 destinations mainly in Sabah and Sarawak, aims to ensure greater accessibility by establishing closer links for connecting flights to continental or global cities.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin Weekend
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Top three winners of Unduk Ngadau stand to become MASwings cabin crew

KOTA KINABALU: The top three winners of the upcoming State-level Kaamatan Festival Unduk Ngadau pageant stand a chance of being recruited to work as a cabin crew for MASwings.

“If they wish to join as cabin crew, 50 per cent is already considered acceptable while the other qualities will be looked into during the interview. They will also become our icons in billboards to reflect our identity,” said MASwings managing director, Dato’ Capt Mohd Nawawi Awang.

He said this at the presentation of sponsorship to the State-level Kaamatan Festival, organising committee chairperson, Jornah Mozihim, in a form of a business class fare for the champion and an economy class fare for the first and second runner-up at a hotel yesterday.

The sponsorship tickets covers air travel to any destinations in Sarawak and Sabah served by MASwings, as well as the BIMP-EAGA region such as Brunei and Kalimantan, which the airline is still awaiting for approval from the respective governments.

Nawawi said they are eyeing to start operations in July to provide services to and from Kota Kinabalu to Bandar Seri Begawan and Kuching to Pontianak. Then, in October, the service from Kuching-Mulu-Bandar Seri Begawan and Kota Kinabalu-Tawau-Tarakan is expected to be launched.

These are all viable routes which are under ‘MASwings International’ programme and also within the operating capacity of the aircraft which is one hour, he said.

On their sponsorship for the Kaamatan Festival, he said it is under their newly launched programme called ‘Wings of Love’.

“Since we are serving here, in future we want Sabah and Sarawak to consider that this airline belongs to them. Furthermore, 90 per cent of our staff come from these two states and we also want to position MASwings as the icon for Sabah and Sarawak,” he stated.

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MASwings Set To Fly To Brunei and Pontianak Soon

KOTA KINABALU -- MASwings, which currently operates within Sabah and Sarawak, is expected to commence flights to Brunei and Pontianak, Indonesia, soon.

Its managing director, Datuk Capt Mohd Nawawi Awang, said MASwings had already submitted the proposal to the Transport Ministry for approval.

"Based on the positive response from the ministry, I'm quite confident that the flights from Kota Kinabalu to Brunei and from Kuching to Pontianak (West Kalimantan) will take off on July 1 or in July," he said during a luncheon with the media here today.

He said if these flights were successful, MASwings planned to introduce flights from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau and Tarakan (East Kalimanan) and also from Kuching to Mulu and Brunei in October.

"Plans are also in the pipeline for other destinations within BIMP-EAGA region and we hope to provide flight services from Sabah and Sarawak to major cities such as Palawan and Mindanao in Southern Philippines as well as Manado in Sulawesi, Indonesia, in the future," he said.

BIMP-EAGA stands for Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), a subregional economic cooperation initiative in Southeast Asia.

Mohd Nawawi said MASwings was aware of the need to improve air connectivity within this region as it was constantly discussed among leaders of the BIMP-EAGA member countries at meetings of the grouping.

Apart from that, he said MASwings would also explore the possibility of embarking on international flights from Sabah and Sarawak with immediate focus being on the Kota Kinabalu-Kuala Lumpur and Kuching-Kuala Lumpur sectors.

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BIMP-EAGA hailed as most mega diverse region in the world

KOTA KINABALU: The Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Phillipines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) has been hailed as the most mega diverse region in the world.

In a statement yesterday, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said the ministers responsible for the BIMP-EAGA’s tropical rainforests and marine resources gave this recognition at the one-day Conference on the Heart of Borneo and Coral Reefs in Temburong, Brunei Tuesday.

In a joint statement, the ministers of the four-member countries said the two ecosystems of forests and coral reefs were interconnected and good strategies and plans were currently being implemented including maintaining the ecological corridors joining the terrestrial and marine biodiversity.

“The ministers agreed that their respective national action plans would form the basis for the development and conservation of the two ecosystems and recognised the importance of collaboration efforts among member countries in the areas of common interest such as in eco-tourism and research and development,” it said.

Meanwhile, Secretary Luwalhati R. Antonino, MinDA Chair and Philippine Signing Minister for BIMP-EAGA, said the role of the business entities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local government units in the conservation of the seas, oceans, forests, and species in the coral triangle should not be forgotten.

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BIMP-EAGA region most 'mega diverse' in the world

KUCHING: The BIMP-EAGA region has been recognised as the most ‘mega diverse’ sub-region in the world due to its rich biodiversity, especially its tropical rainforests and coral reef.

BIMP-EAGA stands for Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Phillipines-East Asia Growth Area.

The recognition was given by the ministers responsible for the region at the BIMP-EAGA Ministerial Conference on the Heart of Borneo and Coral Reefs in Temburong, Brunei yesterday.

The ministers representing Malaysia were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Dato Sri Douglas Uggah and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili.

Representing Brunei were Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng and Industry and Primary Resources Minister Pehin Dato Yahya.

Indonesia was represented by Zulkifli Hassan while Philippines by Mindanao Development Authority chairman Luwalhati Antonino.

“The ministers recognised that the two ecosystems of forests and coral reefs are interconnected and noted that good strategies and plans are currently being implemented including maintaining the ecological corridors joining the terrestrial and marine biodiversity.

“The ministers agreed that their respective national action plans would form
the basis for the development and conservation of the two ecosystems and recognised the importance of collaboration efforts among member countries in the areas of common interest such as in eco-tourism and research and development.

“This effort would complement each other and create synergy that would significantly contribute to the BIMP-EAGA rich biodiversity.

“In this regard, the ministers recognised the BIMP-EAGA region as the most mega diverse sub-region in the world,” said the ministers in a joint statement yesterday.

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