MASwings Eyes International Routes

MASwings, the regional division of Malaysia Airlines, is set to launch international services, according to its Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Tengku Azmil Zahruddin, also Managing Director of its parent company. The airline currently focuses on flying rural air services in East Malaysia but has applied for Government approval to expand to Brunei and Indonesia, expanding away from its current markets in Sabah and Sarawak.

The new flights to Bandar Seri Begawan and Pontianak are earmarked for an October launch, subject to approval from the Transport Ministry and according to MASwings will help establish it as a community airline across the greater Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) region rather than just in its home market.

MASwings is understood to be interested in flying to Bandar Seri Begawan from Kota Kinabalu and to Pontianak from Kuching. The route to Brunei is not currently served, but the proposed service to Indonesia is already operated three times weekly by Batavia Air using a Boeing 737-300.