News & Reviews:   AirBorneo

AirBorneo, a Sarawak-owned airline, has announced plans to begin scheduled flights connecting East Malaysia with Peninsular Malaysia later in 2026, strengthening domestic air connectivity and laying the groundwork for future international services. The airline currently operates rural routes within Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan under the former Rural Air Services network previously managed by MASwings, and aims to expand beyond these services with larger aircraft.

Since early this year, the Sarawak government has taken over MASWings and renamed it AirBorneo. It will take a few more months for the airline to be fully operational, as according to Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg at a recent corporate dinner event, it will begin regional jet operations by July 2026.

Previously, we shared that after some delays, the Sarawak State Government is finalising its acquisition of MASwings today for its state-owned airline. Well, today, the acquisition has been formalised through the signing of a sale and purchase agreement with Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), and the Sarawak Government has named the new airline ‘AirBorneo’.