On Thursday, Royal Brunei Airlines celebrated their first flight to Sibu in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. In other news, earlier this week Jetstar Asia launched the only direct service from Singapore to the Hefei in mainland China.
Royal Brunei Airlines celebrated the launch of their inaugural service to Sibu, Sarawak in Malaysia on Thursday. In the Sibu Airport ceremony, Royal Brunei’s Senior Vice President – Sales, Ms. Ai-ling Ng stated,
“We are very proud to be the first international airline to fly to Sibu in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. We are delighted to introduce Sibu as our next destination in Phase one of the RB link regional initiative connecting cities and towns within Borneo Island. Sibu and its neighboring towns will benefit from our value pricing and five-star full-service product as well as seamless connections through Brunei to many international markets such as China, Japan, UK, and Australia which offer great tourism and export opportunities. It’s another important and exciting step in our goal to make travel easier within Borneo and beyond.”
Sibu is Royal Brunei’s fourth Malaysian destination as the airline recently announced service to Sandakan, Bintulu, and Tawau. RB Link flights utilize ATR 72-600 turboprops operated by Malindo Air with 72 all economy seats. The airline also offers 4-6 “preferred seats” with 43 or 33 inches of pitch respectively. RB Link is a full-service experience, delivering Royal Brunei’s signature service with a light snack and beverage service (on flights over one hour). The new flight from Bandar Seri Begawan to Sibu will be operated six times weekly.
Source: Royal Brunei Airlines
On November 13, 2019, Jetstar Asia announced the launch of new service from Singapore to Hefei located in mid-east China. Beginning November 28, Jetstar Asia will operate three weekly flights to Hefei utilizing Airbus A320 aircraft. Hefei is the capital of Anhui Province, which offers travelers spectacular natural attractions such as Mount Huangshan, Jiuhua Mountain, Tianzhu Mountain and other natural wonders. Anhui Province also offers business travelers many opportunities as the region is home to numerous manufacturers of products such as rice wine, rice paper, medicinal herbs, tea and calligraphy ink. The region also offers engineering services and manufacturing plants for electronics, steel and machinery. In Wednesday’s announcement, Jetstar Asia’s CEO, Bara Pasupathi said,
“As the only Singapore-based airline flying direct to Hefei Xinqiao International Airport, we are proud to be giving travelers a greater choice of destinations in China enabling them to maximize their experience there. The new charter service is a partnership with Shanghai Xihao Aviation Service and helps us fulfill our vision of helping more people travel to more places and further builds on Jetstar’s commitment and presence in the important Chinese market.”
Also commenting on the new route, Shanghai Xihao Aviation Service’s Chairman and General Manager, Mr. Pan Huan Ying stated,
“This partnership demonstrates our commitment in following and supporting the Belt and Road Initiative in China. The new route will not only enable the citizens of Hefei to travel to Singapore more conveniently, but also enhance the city as an international aviation hub. In addition, it is going to encourage more economic, cultural and tourism exchange between Singapore and Anhui.”
The Jetstar Group offers over 80 weekly flights to seven Chinese cities from Singapore, Vietnam, Japan and Australia, including popular destinations such as Shanghai, Haikou and Guangzhou.
Source: Jetstar