A Sarawak-based passenger airline could operate as far afield as Frankfurt International, according to the would-be carrier's chief supporter, Abang Johari Openg. Sarawak's premier has spent the past 12 months trying to close a deal with the Malaysian government and state-owned Malaysia Aviation Group to acquire regional operator MASwings (MY, Kota Kinabalu).
Despite the ongoing lack of success persuading Kuala Lumpur to hand over ownership and despite MASwings being an ATR - Avions de Transport Régional operator, the premier told a business event in Kuching last month that the German hub, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Hong Kong International, Korea, and Japan were his top destinations to operate to.
Abang Johari's current timeline to finalise the MASwings acquisition is this month, and he says once that happens, the Swarak government would purchase "several new aircraft" capable of long-haul flying. The premier also wants Malaysia's Khazanah Nasional sovereign wealth fund, owner of Malaysia Aviation Group, to finance the acquisition.
It is understood that Hornbill Skyways (Kuching), a local general aviation operator with links to the state government, would take the lead in managing MASwings, which is also likely to be rebranded if the ownership swap concludes.
Abang Johari argues that existing operators either overlook Sarawak's capital Kuching, or overcharge on tickets. He maintains that having a local airline would boost tourism and economic development. The ch-aviation PRO airports module shows that eight passenger airlines service the airport - Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Batik Air Malaysia, Firefly, Scoot, Indonesia AirAsia, Royal Brunei Airlines, and Raya Airways. The airport is linked to 17 others in five countries, Singapore, Brunei, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
