At the media session on Thursday, Megat said the airline currently operates a fleet of two jet aircraft serving Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, with plans to expand the fleet to five by the end of the year.

This as the state-owned carrier looks to support higher flight frequencies to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, with plans to also launch new international routes.

Megat said AirBorneo plans to expand beyond the Borneo region into Peninsular Malaysia before entering other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets, and eventually southern China.

“By the end of this year, in October, November and December, once the additional aircraft arrive, we will launch new routes and increase frequencies to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

While Megat did not disclose which other cities AirBorneo might fly to, Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg had on Monday said that the airline will soon fly to Jakarta after having secured an “allocation at the (international) airport there”.

“Jakarta, very soon. We expect it within the next two months. In fact, we have already been allocated space at Jakarta international airport,” he was quoted as saying by Dayak Daily, referring to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

The Sarawak premier made the comments at a press conference for the launch of the Kuching-Kuala Lumpur route at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.