PETALING JAYA: Sarawak’s own airline, to be established with the takeover of MASwings, will fly to six international destinations, state premier Abang Johari Openg said.
He said flights to his “dream destinations” – in Germany, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia – would boost tourism.
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“We can travel and at the same time bring tourists to Sarawak, so that they can eat ‘kolo mee’ (the popular noodle dish),” he was quoted as saying in a news report.
The Sarawak government and Malaysia Aviation Group are expected to complete a sale and purchase agreement for the takeover of MAG subsidiary, MASwings, on Dec 31.
The transfer of ownership will take between six and nine months after the agreement is signed, state transport minister Lee Kim Shin said.
MASwings was set up in 2007 to take over the rural air services in Sabah and Sarawak. Since 2012, it has also operated flights to Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. The airline operates eight ATR 72 twin-turboprop aircraft which can seat 68 passengers on regional routes, and six DHC-6-400 Twin Otter short-haul aircraft which can seat 19 on rural routes.
