MASwings

MASwings Sdn Bhd (Trade name: MASwings) is a regional airline operating the Rural Air Services (RAS) in Borneo Malaysia. MASwings is the successors of FlyAsianXpress which operated RAS flights from 2006-2007, itself the successor Malaysia Airlines operation of RAS flights during 1965-2006. Borneo Airways originally operated RAS flights from 1953-1965 within colonial British Borneo.

The first MASwings flight was on 1 October 2007, which is also the anniversary of the founding of Malaysia Airlines in 1972.

Its headquarters are located in MAS/MASwings Administration Building, Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Sabah. Previously, its head office was located in the Beautiful Jade Centre in Miri.

MASwings is currently a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, though in June 2023, Sarawak's Premier Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari announced that the Government of Sarawak has agreed "in principle" to take over the airline, pending due diligence checks. In the middle of July 2023, Sarawak Government took over the Rural Air Services (RAS) in Borneo Malaysia from the Malaysian Federal Government, paving the way for a takeover of MASWings from the Sarawakian Government. At the end of July 2023, Sarawak Minister of Transport Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin met the CEO of Khazanah Nasional, which owns Malaysia Airlines, to negotiate the acquisition price as well as discuss the process of a takeover of MASwings.

History

Initial services

The airline began its operation on 1 October 2007, concentrating on secondary and tertiary routes within the Malaysian Borneo, inheriting the 22 destinations previously operated by Fly Asian Xpress (and, prior to that, by Malaysia Airlines directly). During its launch, the airline operated 4 50-seater Fokker 50 and 4 19-seater Twin Otter aircraft.

International expansion

On 2 December 2009, The Star reported that MASwings planned to begin flying to the Philippines, Kalimantan and Sulawesi by the middle of 2010. However, due to certain circumstances, they could not begin flying on some these routes yet, with the exception of Pontianak, Balikpapan and Tarakan, in the Kalimantan region.

On 26 June 2010, MASwings had been exploring the possibility of serving regional routes on the Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Philippines-East Asian Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), specifically Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei, Cebu and Davao in the Philippines, Pontianak, Balikpapan and Tarakan in Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya, Indonesia. On 21 December 2010, MASwings' Managing Director Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani confirmed these routes and was waiting for the approval of the relevant authorities.

On 20 November 2011, during MASwings' fourth-anniversary dinner in Kota Kinabalu, CEO Capt Mohd Nawawi Awang announced that the first phase of MASwings' BIMP-EAGA expansion plan will begin in early 2012, with Brunei and Kalimantan as its launching destinations. He said that "the foray into international destinations, would be another milestone in the airlines' history." He also added that it will "pave the way for many more people to travel into Sabah and Sarawak while further intensifying tourist arrivals and business opportunities."

MASwings announced on 5 December 2011 that the Ministry of Transport of Malaysia had approved MASwings' application to fly in the BIMP-EAGA region and the first flights will commence on 1 February 2012.

MASwings unveiled the first four flights in the BIMP-EAGA region on 16 December 2011. The Kota Kinabalu-Bandar Seri Begawan route and the Kuching-Bandar Seri Begawan route will begin on 1 February 2012, while the Kuching-Pontianak route and the Tawau-Tarakan route will begin on 6 and 13 February 2012 respectively. MASwings will provide 14 flights weekly on the Kota Kinabalu-Bandar Seri Begawan route, 7 flights weekly on the Kuching-Pontianak route, and 3 flights weekly on the Kuching-Bandar Seri Begawan route and the Tawau-Tarakan route.

Planned expansion as a regional leisure airline

The airline also considered jet-operations using 737 jet aircraft, enabling the airline to commenced routes to Davao in the Philippines, together with Makassar and Manado in Indonesia, as well as several Chinese destinations from Kota Kinabalu. These were reportedly stymied due to opposition from parent company Malaysia Airlines.

In June 2023, Premier of Sarawak Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg announced that the Government of Sarawak had agreed "in principle" to take over MASWings from its parent company Malaysia Airlines, pending due diligence checks. This comes after months of efforts by the Premier to establish a Sarawak-based "boutique airline," which were earlier believed to have been based on expanding the existing, state-owned Hornbill Skyways. Johari reportedly wishes the airline to expand to operate on regional routes, including Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. He has also stated that the airline will begin transitioning to use microalgae-based sustainable aviation fuel, manufactured in a new industrial facility in Sejingkat by Sarawak Energy and Japanese biotechnology company, Chitose Group.

Fleet

Current fleet

As of December 2023, MASwings operates the following aircraft:

Former fleet

Fleet replacement

On 9 November 2007, MASwings (through its parent company Malaysia Airlines) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purchase of 7 ATR 72-500s with options for 3 additional aircraft to expand its services in the states of Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia. MASwings received delivery of the first aircraft in 2008, second 6 aircraft in 2009 and remaining 3 (optional) by 2010. On 25 April 2010, its last F50 (9M-MGF) was retired from service.

On 28 February 2012, MASwings made an announcement that they will be replacing their ageing Twin Otters with newer planes, as the request had been sent to the Ministry of Transportation in 2011, and now awaiting final approval. The candidates for the replacement were Viking Air DHC-6 Series 400, Dornier 228NG (New Generation) and GECI SK-105 Skylander. However, with the Skylander project cancelled, it is likely that the candidates would be the Dornier 228NG and the Twin Otter Series 400.

On 18 December 2012, MASwings' parent company, Malaysia Airlines, ordered 36 ATR 72-600 for its subsidiaries. 16 of the ordered aircraft will be delivered to MASwings, while the remaining 20 will enter service with Firefly. For the replacement of the Twin Otter Series 300, six brand-new Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft will enter service in mid-2013.

On 25 July 2013, MASwings received its first ATR 72-600 with a planned order of up to 10 to replace its ageing ATR72-500 via stages. However, due to disputes between the ministry of transport and parent company Malaysia Airlines in the introduction of the aircraft under the RAS contract scheme. It was decided by the government of Malaysia that it was more cost efficient to utilize the existing ATR72-500 for further years and to gradually allow other airlines to operate within east Malaysia commercially in a bid to keep subsidy costs in check. As a result 8 former routes which were formerly categorized under RAS were removed as a result to rationalize the subsidies for Maswings. The newer aircraft which by then the airline had 4 were withdrawn prematurely in December 2015 and subsequent orders by the airline cancelled.

On 26 October 2022, ATR has proposed plans to MASwings, Firefly on modernizing its existing ATR72-500 with ATR72-600 however for MASwings this will be subjected to its current pending handover transfer to the State Government of Sarawak.

Destinations

Malaysia

• Sabah
  • Kota Kinabalu - Kota Kinabalu International Airport Main hub
  • Kudat - Kudat Airport Terminated
  • Lahad Datu - Lahad Datu Airport
  • Sandakan - Sandakan Airport
  • Tawau - Tawau Airport
• Labuan
  • Labuan - Labuan Airport
• Sarawak
  • Miri - Miri Airport Twin-Otter hub
  • Kuching - Kuching International Airport Secondary hub
  • Ba'kelalan - Ba'kelalan Airport
  • Bario - Bario Airport
  • Bintulu - Bintulu Airport
  • Lawas - Lawas Airport
  • Limbang - Limbang Airport
  • Long Akah - Long Akah Airport
  • Long Banga - Long Banga Airport
  • Long Lellang - Long Lellang Airport
  • Long Seridan - Long Seridan Airport
  • Marudi - Marudi Airport
  • Mukah - Mukah Airport
  • Mulu - Mulu Airport
  • Sibu - Sibu Airport
  • Sarikei - Tanjung Manis Airport

Terminated destinations

• Brunei
  • Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei International Airport

• Indonesia
  • Balikpapan - Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan Airport
  • Pontianak - Supadio Airport
  • Tarakan - Juwata Airport

• Philippines
  • Puerto Princesa - Puerto Princesa International Airport

Awards and recognitions

• 2018: The Malaysia Book of Records for "Longest Operating Hours for Rural Air Services"
• 2018: The Malaysia Book of Records for "Most Number of Passengers Transported via Rural Air Services"

Incidents and accidents

• 10 October 2013 — a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter (9M-MDM), operating as MASwings Flight 3002 from Kota Kinabalu to Kudat, landed short of the runway at Kudat Airport. The aircraft impacted a house and was destroyed. This accident marks the first fatal incident for MASwings, where two people were confirmed dead, including the co-pilot.

References

External links

Media related to MASwings at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website
• fleet detail