Kuching-Brunei flight frequency increased

KUCHING: Starting April 5, the frequency of flights between Kuching and Brunei will see an addition, marking the fourth flight per week.

Minister for Transport, Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin confirmed that this increased frequency will be maintained throughout 2024, with flights scheduled for Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

He made this announcement following a courtesy call from Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) at his office in Petra Jaya here.

“Chief executive officer Sabirin Abdul Hamid noted that the passenger load to Sarawak in 2022/2023 averaged above 65 per cent. As tickets for the upcoming festive season go on sale, RBA will assess demand and consider either upgrading to the larger B787 Dreamliner aircraft or adding more flights. Currently, the Brunei/Kuching route is served by A320 aircraft,” he explained.

Lee also mentioned that RBA transported over 9,000 passengers to Kuching in the last financial year and anticipates surpassing last year’s passenger numbers with the increased capacity. These passengers utilise Brunei as a transit point to/from RBA’s 20 destinations.

“Kuching, via Brunei, offers 11-13 weekly connections to international destinations such as Bangkok, Dubai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Jeddah, Melbourne, Manila, Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh, Surabaya, and Taipei,” Lee said.

He noted RBA’s joint campaign with Tourism Malaysia in 2023 to promote Malaysian destinations, including familiarisation trips to Kuching for agents from Melbourne, Taipei, and Tokyo. Efforts to develop new leisure and golf products in Kuching are ongoing.

“The additional Kuching frequency facilitates two-way connections for Umrah opportunities and aims to attract Korean travellers by promoting new leisure and golf products,” he added.

Lee stressed the importance of continuing joint marketing campaigns and roadshows with Sarawak Tourism to promote Sarawak via Brunei.

He also highlighted the need to address the shortage of foreign language-speaking tour guides through appropriate agencies.