Earlier in the year, it was announced that AirBorneo is targeting Peninsular Malaysia flight routes within the year. To do that, the state airline will begin operating jet-powered planes starting in July, as announced by Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg back in December. More recent reports cite the airline CEO Megat Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin as corroborating this. Bernama reports a time window of H2 2026, while Aviation Week Network narrows it down further to Q3.
That being said, the former report notes that the airline is currently unable to place orders for the aircraft. With that, and considering the near-term start of its jet operations, the latter report cites Megat Ardian as saying that the airline is considering leasing solutions for said planes.
More specifically, the airline is looking to lease three planes. These will be used for routes around Borneo before expanding to Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Later, they will ultimately be used for routes to the wider Southeast Asia, and beyond. No new details in terms of timeline for these. But they should line up with the previously reported windows of 2026 and 2027 respectively.
AirBorneo is also reportedly replacing its eight ATR 72s with five ATR 72-600s and three ATR 42-600s. These and the existing DHC-6 Twin Otters, will be the core of the Rural Air Services connecting the remote areas of Sabah and Sarawak with the rest of the states.
(Source: Bernama, Aviation Week Network)
