| |||||||
Founded | 1 October 2007 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hubs | |||||||
Secondary hubs | Kuching | ||||||
Frequent-flyer program | Enrich | ||||||
Fleet size | 16 | ||||||
Destinations | 23 | ||||||
Parent company | Malaysia Airlines | ||||||
Headquarters | Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia | ||||||
Key people | Suresh Singam (COO) | ||||||
Website | www |
MASwings is a regional airline operating the Rural Air Services (RAS) in Borneo Malaysia. MASwings is the successors of FlyAsianXpress which operated RAS flights from 2006-2007, itself the successor Malaysia Airlines operation of RAS flights during 1965-2006. Borneo Airways originally operated RAS flights from 1953-1965 within colonial British Borneo.
The first MASwings flight was on 1 October 2007, which is also the anniversary of the founding of Malaysia Airlines in 1972. [1]
Its headquarters are located in MAS/MASwings Administration Building, Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Sabah. [2] Previously, its head office was located in the Beautiful Jade Centre in Miri. [3]
MASwings is currently a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, though in June 2023, Sarawak's Premier Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari announced that the Government of Sarawak has agreed "in principle" to take over the airline, pending due diligence checks. In the middle of July 2023, Sarawak Government took over the Rural Air Services (RAS) in Borneo Malaysia from the Malaysian Federal Government, paving the way for a takeover of MASWings from the Sarawakian Government. At the end of July 2023, Sarawak Minister of Transport Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin met the CEO of Khazanah Nasional, which owns Malaysia Airlines, to negotiate the acquisition price as well as discuss the process of a takeover of MASwings. [4] [5]
The airline began its operation on 1 October 2007, concentrating on secondary and tertiary routes within the Malaysian Borneo, inheriting the 22 destinations previously operated by Fly Asian Xpress (and, prior to that, by Malaysia Airlines directly). During its launch, the airline operated 4 50-seater Fokker 50 and 4 19-seater Twin Otter aircraft. [6]
On 2 December 2009, The Star reported that MASwings planned to begin flying to the Philippines, Kalimantan and Sulawesi by the middle of 2010. [7] However, due to certain circumstances, they could not begin flying on some these routes yet, with the exception of Pontianak, Balikpapan and Tarakan, in the Kalimantan region.
On 26 June 2010, MASwings had been exploring the possibility of serving regional routes on the Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Philippines-East Asian Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), specifically Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei, Cebu and Davao in the Philippines, Pontianak, Balikpapan and Tarakan in Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya, Indonesia. [8] [9] On 21 December 2010, MASwings' Managing Director Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani confirmed these routes and was waiting for the approval of the relevant authorities. [10]
On 20 November 2011, during MASwings' fourth-anniversary dinner in Kota Kinabalu, CEO Capt Mohd Nawawi Awang announced that the first phase of MASwings' BIMP-EAGA expansion plan will begin in early 2012, with Brunei and Kalimantan as its launching destinations. He said that "the foray into international destinations, would be another milestone in the airlines' history." He also added that it will "pave the way for many more people to travel into Sabah and Sarawak while further intensifying tourist arrivals and business opportunities." [11] [12]
MASwings announced on 5 December 2011 that the Ministry of Transport of Malaysia had approved MASwings' application to fly in the BIMP-EAGA region and the first flights will commence on 1 February 2012. [13] [14]
MASwings unveiled the first four flights in the BIMP-EAGA region on 16 December 2011. The Kota Kinabalu-Bandar Seri Begawan route and the Kuching-Bandar Seri Begawan route will begin on 1 February 2012, while the Kuching-Pontianak route and the Tawau-Tarakan route will begin on 6 and 13 February 2012 respectively. MASwings will provide 14 flights weekly on the Kota Kinabalu-Bandar Seri Begawan route, 7 flights weekly on the Kuching-Pontianak route, and 3 flights weekly on the Kuching-Bandar Seri Begawan route and the Tawau-Tarakan route. [15]
The airline also considered jet-operations using 737 jet aircraft, enabling the airline to commenced routes to Davao in the Philippines, together with Makassar and Manado in Indonesia, as well as several Chinese destinations from Kota Kinabalu. [16] [17] These were reportedly stymied due to opposition from parent company Malaysia Airlines.
In June 2023, Premier of Sarawak Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg announced that the Government of Sarawak had agreed "in principle" to take over MASWings from its parent company Malaysia Airlines, pending due diligence checks. This comes after months of efforts by the Premier to establish a Sarawak-based "boutique airline," which were earlier believed to have been based on expanding the existing, state-owned Hornbill Skyways. [18] Johari reportedly wishes the airline to expand to operate on regional routes, including Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. He has also stated that the airline will begin transitioning to use microalgae-based sustainable aviation fuel, manufactured in a new industrial facility in Sejingkat by Sarawak Energy and Japanese biotechnology company, Chitose Group. [5] [19]
As of July 2024 [update] , MASwings operates the following aircraft: [20] [21]
Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
ATR 72-500 | 10 | — | 68 | |
Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otter | 6 | — | 19 | Used for rural air service. |
Total | 16 | — |
Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Introduced | Retired | Replacement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ATR 72-600 | 4 | 70 | 2013 | 2015 | None | |
De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter | 4 | 20 | 2007 | 2013 | Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otter | Leased from FlyAsianXpress. |
Fokker 50 | 8 | 50 | 2007 | 2010 | ATR 72-500 |
On 9 November 2007, MASwings (through its parent company Malaysia Airlines) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purchase of 7 ATR 72-500s with options for 3 additional aircraft to expand its services in the states of Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia. MASwings received delivery of the first aircraft in 2008, second 6 aircraft in 2009 and remaining 3 (optional) by 2010. On 25 April 2010, its last F50 (9M-MGF) was retired from service.
On 28 February 2012, MASwings made an announcement that they will be replacing their ageing Twin Otters with newer planes, as the request had been sent to the Ministry of Transportation in 2011, and now awaiting final approval. The candidates for the replacement were Viking Air DHC-6 Series 400, Dornier 228NG (New Generation) and GECI SK-105 Skylander. [22] However, with the Skylander project cancelled, it is likely that the candidates would be the Dornier 228NG and the Twin Otter Series 400.
On 18 December 2012, MASwings' parent company, Malaysia Airlines, ordered 36 ATR 72-600 for its subsidiaries. 16 of the ordered aircraft will be delivered to MASwings, while the remaining 20 will enter service with Firefly. For the replacement of the Twin Otter Series 300, six brand-new Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft will enter service in mid-2013. [23]
On 25 July 2013, MASwings received its first ATR 72-600 with a planned order of up to 10 to replace its ageing ATR72-500 via stages. [24] However, due to disputes between the ministry of transport and parent company Malaysia Airlines in the introduction of the aircraft under the RAS contract scheme. It was decided by the government of Malaysia that it was more cost efficient to utilize the existing ATR72-500 for further years and to gradually allow other airlines to operate within east Malaysia commercially in a bid to keep subsidy costs in check. As a result 8 former routes which were formerly categorized under RAS were removed as a result to rationalize the subsidies for Maswings. [25] [26] The newer aircraft which by then the airline had 4 were withdrawn prematurely in December 2015 and subsequent orders by the airline cancelled.
On 26 October 2022, ATR has proposed plans to MASwings, Firefly on modernizing its existing ATR72-500 with ATR72-600 however for MASwings this will be subjected to its current pending handover transfer to the State Government of Sarawak. [27]
Royal Brunei Airlines Sdn Bhd (RB) is the flag carrier of Brunei, headquartered in the RB Campus in Bandar Seri Begawan. It is wholly owned by the Government of Brunei. Its hub is Brunei International Airport in Berakas, just to the north of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei.
Brunei International Airport (BIA), , is the primary international airport and official airport of entry; one of two airports in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam, on the island of Borneo.
Malaysia–Singapore Airlines was the multinational flag carrier of Malaysia and Singapore. The airline was previously renamed twice, being founded as Malayan Airways from 1946 to 1963, Malaysian Airways from 1963 to 1965, and ultimately in 1966 as a result of a joint ownership of the airline by the governments of the two countries not long after Singapore was expelled from Malaysia. It was headquartered at Robinson Road in Singapore.
The North Borneo Federation, also known as North Kalimantan, was a proposed political entity which would have comprised the British colonies of Sarawak, British North Borneo and the protectorate of Brunei.
Kuching International Airport (KIA) is an international airport serving the entire southwestern region of Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located 11 km (6.8 mi) south of Kuching city centre. The airport is colocated with the RMAF Kuching, home to the No. 7 Squadron RMAF.
Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) is an international airport in Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah, Malaysia. It is located approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) southwest of the city centre. In 2019, over 9 million passengers passed through the airport, making it the second busiest airport in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur International Airport in terms of passenger movements & aircraft movements and the third busiest in terms of cargo handled.
Tawau Airport is an airport located 15 nautical miles north east of Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia. It is one of two airports in Sabah with immigration counters for international flights, the other being Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
Miri Airport is an airport located 9.5 km (5.9 mi) south east of Miri, a city in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The airport is the sixth-busiest airport in Malaysia, and the second-busiest in Sarawak.
Lahad Datu Airport is an airport located in the southeastern part of the Malaysian state of Sabah. The airport, which is situated approximately 1 km (0.62 mi) from downtown Lahad Datu, serves the town of Lahad Datu and its neighbouring districts such as Kinabatangan, FELDA Sahabat, and Kunak. The airport can accommodate aircraft as large as the ATR72, and the terminal building can handle up to 100,000 passengers annually. In 2016, the airport handled 140,077 passengers and 3,713 aircraft movements.
Kimanis is a town and also a parliamentary constituency in Papar District, West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. It is located approximately 45 kilometres south of the city of Kota Kinabalu, halfway between Papar and Beaufort.
Firefly is a low-cost airline subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines that offers flights within Malaysia, as well as to Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Firefly operates from its main hub at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang and Penang International Airport, as well as its secondary hub at Kota Kinabalu International Airport. The airline's first flight was on 3 April 2007, from Penang to Kota Bharu. The company slogan is Beyond Convenience.
Mosphil Aero was an airline based in Makati, Manila, Philippines. It operated domestic passenger and cargo services around the southern Philippines, primarily from Zamboanga International Airport.
The Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) is a cooperation initiative established in 1994 to spur development in remote and less developed areas in the four participating Southeast Asian countries.
Brunei and Malaysia established diplomatic relations in 1984. Brunei has a high commission in Putrajaya, as well as consulate-generals in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. Malaysia maintains a high commission in Bandar Seri Begawan. Both countries are full members of ASEAN and the Commonwealth of Nations. The two countries share a land border on the island of Borneo. Both countries are majority ethnic Malays and maintain excellent and close economic, cultural, political and defence ties.
Sabah Trade Centre is a trade centre building in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. The building located at an approximately 100,000 square feet area reaching the height of 70 feet and divided into two levels. It is managed by Sabah Trade and Industry Consultancy Sdn. Bhd. (STIC), under the State Department of Industrial Development and Research, Ministry of Industrial Development of the Government of Sabah.
Borneo Airways Limited also known as Borneo Airways, was the flag carrier and the principal domestic airline in British Borneo based in Labuan between 1957 until 1 April 1965 when it merged with Malaysian Airways.
Media related to MASwings at Wikimedia Commons