The recent acquisition of MASwings (MY, Kota Kinabalu) by the Sarawak state government includes a rider that it must employ the approximately 300 existing employees before recruiting any more, according to The Borneo Post.
Sarawak state transport minister Lee Kim Shin says those employees who decide to stay will keep their jobs and any initial external recruitment will focus on replacing those who do not stay. MASwings is headquartered at Kota Kinabalu in neighbouring Sabah. Sarawak's takeover will see the carrier rebranded to AirBorneo and the headquarters relocated to Kuching, among other things.
"If there are vacancies, and airline personnel from other companies wish to apply, they are welcome to do so," said Kim. "However, our priority is to retain all existing staff."
The Sarawak government expects to take up to one year to complete the acquisition of MASwings and its transition to AirBorneo. The government has talked about acquiring bigger aircraft and flights to cities around Southeast Asia, but is yet to detail those plans.
MASwings is primarily an intra-Borneo carrier connecting the cities with smaller towns and villages. Many of these flights are subsidised by the Malaysian government. Early indications are those services will continue uninterrupted with jets and longer-range routes further down the track, if at all.
