The premier of Sarawak, Malaysia, has declined to say how much it will cost to acquire MASwings (MY, Kota Kinabalu) or reveal its fleet plans, but he has said it will take up to 18 months to rebrand the carrier as AirBorneo and fully transition it to new ownership.
"Under the agreement, MASwings' assets, including staff and aircraft in Sabah, will be transferred," Abang Johari Openg told Borneo's DayakDaily outlet. "The transition will include newly proposed ATR aircraft with updated cabin configurations. There will be zero liabilities. Sarawak is taking over with a fresh start. It is a good deal."
Last week, the Sarawak government signed the paperwork to acquire MASwings from Malaysia Aviation Group. However, the premier would not comment on the acquisition's cost, citing commercial sensitivities. As for the future fleet, the premier says he wants to acquire jets to operate longer haul routes, but he is yet to reveal type, timelines, or funding details.
"To begin with, we will fly to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Jakarta," he said. "After that, we will expand routes to Hong Kong. Everything is to be done in stages."
In its current incarnation, MASwings operates a fleet of nine ATR72-500s and six DHC-6-400s on 28 routes, including subsidised rural air services routes, around Borneo. From Sarawak's capital of Kuching, it offers scheduled services to Limbang, Mukah, and Mulu. Abang Johari says AirBorneo will continue serving these routes while "positioning itself for expanded regional and international routes."
