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Sarawak has proposed reviving rural air services from Kuching to Sibu, Bintulu and Miri as a public service obligation, to improve domestic connectivity and help reduce travel costs.
State transport minister Lee Kim Shin said the proposal was raised during a meeting with federal transport minister Loke Siew Fook in Putrajaya on May 26, the Borneo Post reported.
He said revival of these routes under the public service obligation framework could help make domestic travel more affordable and accessible.
He said the state government had submitted to Loke a formal proposal for the new Kuching international airport. He welcomed the federal government’s decentralised approach to the project, which would allow greater state involvement in planning and implementation.
Lee said the meeting also touched on developments involving AirBorneo following the Sarawak government’s acquisition of MASwings operations, including possible expansion beyond the rural air services network.
He said Loke had suggested that AirBorneo explore operating the routes commercially using ATR72 aircraft.
Discussions further covered railway infrastructure and logistics issues affecting Sarawak, including the proposed Bintulu-Samalaju rail link under the wider Trans-Borneo Railway initiative, he added.
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