AirBorneo steps up maintenance, route review, fleet renewal to improve Rural Air Services

Megat (second left) during a question-and-answer (Q&A) session following AirBorneo’s media roundtable here on July 8, 2026.

By Amanda L

KUCHING, July 8: AirBorneo is rolling out a series of measures to improve the reliability of its Rural Air Services (RAS), including faster aircraft maintenance, route rationalisation and fleet renewal, following recent flight disruptions that affected passengers.

AirBorneo chief executive officer Megat Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin acknowledged service disruptions since the airline took over the RAS network from MASwings on Jan 1, saying improvements are underway to minimise delays and cancellations.

“We acknowledge there have been disruptions and we are progressively working on them,” he told reporters during a question-and-answer (Q&A) session following AirBorneo’s media roundtable here today.

Among the airline’s immediate priorities is strengthening operational resilience by reducing the time aircraft spend on the ground for repairs.

Megat said AirBorneo is working closely with maintenance providers to speed up the delivery of spare parts from maintenance bases to affected locations, deploy technical personnel more quickly and shorten aircraft turnaround times.

The airline is also expanding its pool of spare parts suppliers to reduce dependence on individual vendors amid a global shortage of aircraft components.

“It’s about the speed of fixing things and getting the aircraft back into the schedule rotation,” he said.

Beyond maintenance improvements, AirBorneo will also rationalise parts of its RAS network by reducing frequencies on selected low-demand routes while maintaining connectivity.

Megat stressed that the move would not involve suspending destinations, but rather consolidating flights with low passenger loads to free up aircraft for scheduled maintenance and improve overall service reliability.

“For example, if a route currently operates 14 times a week, we may merge some flights and reduce it to seven weekly services if demand is low,” he explained.

He said details of the revised RAS schedule are expected to be announced in the coming days after discussions with the Ministry of Transport Malaysia are finalised.

As part of its long-term strategy, AirBorneo has also ordered eight new ATR 72-600 aircraft to replace its ageing ATR 72-500 fleet on a one-for-one basis.

The new aircraft will be delivered progressively, with two arriving in 2027, four in 2028 and the remaining two in 2029.

Megat said the fleet renewal programme is expected to improve operational reliability across the RAS network, which currently serves 21 airports in Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan using eight ATR 72-500 aircraft and six Twin Otters.

He added that AirBorneo currently carries between 60,000 and 70,000 RAS passengers each month with Mulu remaining one of the airline’s busiest tourism destinations.

Looking ahead, Megat said AirBorneo plans to integrate its RAS and future jet operations through a hub-and-spoke model, allowing passengers to connect more seamlessly between rural destinations and international flights.

“For example, a passenger arriving from Singapore can connect through Kuching to destinations such as Mulu,” he said.

On funding, Megat said the federal government will continue its RM209 million annual RAS subsidy, while a new agreement on the rationalised network is expected to be finalised by year-end. — DayakDaily