Teo

Source:Bloomberg Royal Brunei Airlines’ board of directors will reach a decision on modernizing its short-haul fleet this month as the oil-rich kingdom’s flag carrier seeks planes to tap new markets, including India. Boeing Co. (BA) and Airbus SAS (EAD) short-haul jets are in the running, Deputy Chairman Dermot Mannion told reporters today at the World Travel Market in London. “We have an active short-haul campaign that will reach a climax in the next couple of weeks” with a board decision this month, he said. Royal Brunei has taken delivery of two of five Boeing 787 Dreamliners to replace 777-200s on lease from Singapore Airlines Ltd. (SIA) and plans to start London services with the new jet next month. The short-haul expansion should allow extension of the regional network. “We have been looking at southern India for some time,” Mannion said. “We need more short-haul aircraft to support that operation.” The airline, which currently operates six A320-family narrowbodies will seek to expand its short-haul fleet to “double digits,” he said. First deliveries should take place in 2015, he said. Royal Brunei may purchase current-generation Boeing 737s or Airbus A320s, although the long-term goal is to operate the more modern, reengined models now in development at the two planemakers, the 737 Max or A320neo, Mannion said. The short-haul planes may also be used to fly to Australia, he said. Royal Brunei already plans to begin 787 service to Melbourne in March once its third and fourth Dreamliners are delivered. Timing for handover of the final jet is still under discussion with Boeing, he said. Mannion said regional operations with the 787s in recent weeks to prepare crew have gone smoothly, despite setbacks other Dreamliner operators have experienced. The carrier is “confident but not complacent” when it comes to 787 service, he said, adding that Air France-KLM Group (AF) has been tapped to provide worldwide support.

now that make sense or even LHR-BWN-MKV but dont think there is MEL-KUL-KUC/BKI-MKV.maybe there is MEL-KUL-MYY-MKV

Mulu-BSB route is a bit weird i must say

ROYAL Brunei (RB) airlines will be utilising the Boeing 787 for Manila and Kota Kinabalu routes starting today. According to the national carrier’s online schedule, updated until the end of November, Manila flights will commence starting today. The Dreamliner will fly the route twice weekly, every Wednesday and Sunday. The Kota Kinabalu flights will happen four times a week, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, starting November 4. The latest schedule said that these services are “prior to commencement of (the Dreamliner)’s Brunei to London, via Dubai, service” which is slated to start on December 1. “Our B787 Dreamliner service from Brunei to Melbourne is scheduled to commence in the 2nd quarter of 2014,” stated the newest schedule. The flag carrier earlier said that it was looking to strengthen its regional routes and plans to use the Dreamliner it has acquired for these destinations initially. In an interview, Maswadi Hj Mohsin, chief officer of Group Services at RB, said that the carrier was eyeing new routes in Southeast Asia, other parts of Australia, Middle Asia, and “probably India”, among other markets. Maswadi also said that the Dreamliner would to ply regional routes “for the first few months” following its delivery. The plane is designed to seat between 210 to 290 passengers; however no official comment could be reached on the expectant occupancy of the plane for the Manila routes as of press time. The carrier in May beefed up its flights to Kuala Lumpur to twice daily, indicating that it saw potential in servicing demands to and from its neighboring country. This increase to 14 flights weekly comes shortly after an announcement of an increase to 11 weekly flights effective March 30. The boost in flights was aimed to “better serve the strong flow of business and leisure traffic in both directions on this route”. RB flights to Kuala Lumpur would continue to be jointly marketed with Malaysia Airlines through a joint code share agreement. RB acquired the first of five Dreamliners earlier this month. It had its inaugural flight to Singapore last week, after which it went to Malaysia where it encountered a four-hour delay due to issues. The four other Dreamliners will be arriving over the next eight months, officials have said. The Brunei Times almost every news report i read about RB 787, must have a mention about that 4hr delay

and further delay of 2hr for Singapore-Brunei flight last night

from @airlineroutes Royal Brunei Reduces Boeing 787 Kuala Lumpur operation in November 2013, from planned 11 weekly to 7 weekly

the plane is trying to be funny i think another person who tweeted @tweeting787 got these response Yes they did Rayn. DM me your postal address please Don't fret Rayn, do send me your postal address Think the person is another Mwinger and here is a picture from someone's instagram by searching #royalbrunei

Brunei Times report on RB Dreamliner KL inaugural ROYAL Brunei (RB) airlines’ 787 Dreamliner faced technical difficulties on its second commercial flight yesterday. After landing at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), passengers were asked to disembark for a delayed take-off on the return flight due to minor technical issues. RB airlines Deputy Chairman Dermot Mannion assured that the national carrier had strong engineering support from Boeing and Air France/KLM to manage any glitches. Mannion remained upbeat when questioned about the four-hour delay, but did not specify the cause of the technical hitch. “There will be technical glitches from time to time. We had one today and we dealt with it. We’re sorry we’re a little bit late back in Brunei but we’re still very, very confident with the programme,” he said. The Dreamliner, fresh from Friday’s maiden voyage to Singapore, carried 113 passengers, including journalists and bloggers. The Dreamliner, marketed by RB as the `Betterfly’, has had to struggle to improve its image following recent headlines of operational problems faced by other airlines. It was acknowledged among industry experts, however, that new plane models are generally expected to present issues during operation. Upon touchdown of flight BI871, the Malaysian airport splashed out a grand welcoming ceremony, spraying the aircraft with water cannons in an airport tradition afforded to the first arrival of any new aircraft model. Passengers then joined a reception that included a traditional dance performance and a cake-cutting ceremony. Brunei High Commissioner to Malaysia His Excellency Dato Paduka Hj Ishaaq Hj Abdullah was present at KLIA to join other guests Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad, Managing Director of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) and Dermot Mannion, Deputy Chairman of RB. “RB is the first airline to operate the Dreamliner in Southeast Asia and as the airport operator of KLIA, we are proud to welcome this new aircraft to KLIA’s family of fleet,” said Tan Sri Bashir in his speech. Tan Sri Bashir gave plaudits to RB, speaking of the inspiration taken from the business growth of the airline in an industry that is both challenging and competitive. “As a business partner, MAHB also benefits from this encouraging growth. RB’s Dreamliner operations would enable it to bring in a larger number of passengers per flight to KLIA, further boosting our passenger movements and at the same time would present a positive development for the tourism industry in both Malaysia and Brunei,” he said. The Brunei Times

according to some tweets,engine problem.not a good start for our dear RB Dreamliner

from the Borneo Bulletin second Dreamliner would arrive in Brunei early next month, with further deliveries due in January and February next year. The fifth unit will be delivered at a later date. "We are honoured to be the first airline to operate the Dreamliner to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. A big welcome ceremony is planned for the aircraft at KLIA including the traditional water cannon salute," said Mannion. from the Brunei Times The Minister also announced an ongoing review of Brunei's policy on regional air services in a rapidly evolving sector, noting that the Ministry of Communications had detected positive interests to form regional airlines among interested parties in the nation. "In this regard, the ministry will be issuing a public consultation paper as part of the policy review exercise... The feedback received will become valuable input in the policy review. With such course, the Ministry of Communications will be conducting an iterative process before making the final policy call on regional air services operating in Brunei Darussalam," he announced. In an interview with The Brunei Times, YB Pehin Dato Haji Abdullah clarified: "Not yet (for a date). But it will be before the end of this year certainly. We have two or three people interested in forming airlines. We would like to provide some sort of basic things about airlines business. Just imagine, a plane like this costs hundreds of millions. You can't just form an airlines without the cost of operations, passengers... It's not so much risk from anything else but from a business risk... you're buying an important asset. You're flying people. You must know where your revenues are going to come from, where your market is. We find that... in the applications, this information is missing."

no idea how to post a picture.wanted to post a picture.thanks zeqa for the tips.a picture from tonight launch courtesy of a friend A Betterfly for RB

the big celebration/Launching of a Betterfly is tomorrow night The plane will be flying around/test run around Brunei starting Monday 14 October source:@tweeting787 twitter but the government cannot be pumping money again n again.at least they need to break-even

lots of news in the newspaper but the saddest news is this reported by Daily Express:Unexplained delay in airlifting victim to QEH2 The helicopter ferrying co-pilot Marc Joel Bansh arrived at Sabah Air base in KK only at 8pm - at least 5hr after tragedy happened in Kudat at 2.50pm.According to Sabah Air, distress call was received at 4.30pm - 2hr after incident - and that at 4.45pm two Sabah Air helicopters were dispatched to the scene. The reason for the delay in contacting Sabah Air was not immediately known. The paper also understands that an earlier helicopter came back empty-handed at 7pm because the victims were apparently ''bleeding and confused''. Some of Marc family members were already anxiously waiting at the site. There were reports that MHS services from Miri were also summoned but this could not be verified. According to witnesses, the first to arrive at the crash site were the police, followed by Fire Dept & more than 1hr later the ambulance. Whether it was due to waiting for the Kota Belud ambulance to arrive was not known. another report by Daily Express:Plane's tip apparently hit a tree Strong winds forced the pilot to abort his 1st attempt at landing. When the pilot returned for 2nd attempt, the tip of the plane apparently hit a tree, probably because of a gust of wind, and swerved out of control before smashing into the garage of a house. report by Harian Metro:'Bencana kepala angin' err is kepala angin? headwinds? translated:When trying for 2nd attempt, the plane still did not manage to touch near the runway/merapati landasan due to strong wings,before trying to go airborne again. However, at that time the front tyre of the plane smashed to the house roof which is situated 200m from the airfield and crashes. and according to all news report the plane engine was still spinning for 1hr after the crash according to news report MASWings previously had 4 Twinotters but was reduced to 3 following the Marudi airport incident in November 2012 after 1 of the planes veered off the runway upon landing. MAsWings will deploy new Twinotters in stages from the middle of this yr until 2014. It took 1st delivery of Twinotter DHC6-400 on Aug6, but had to undergo pre-service modification until Sept14

anduki heliport had opened a new terminal in these recent years, while kudat airport i assume is still the same old terminal since many years ago

and the NST had this interesting report:Lucky escape for mom and son in the house http://www.nst.com.my/latest/maswings-crash-in-kudat-lucky-escape-for-mom-and-son-in-the-house-1.372820 KOTA KINABALU: A mother and her son escaped death when a MASWings aircraft failed to take off from the Kudat airport and ploughed into the side of their single-storey house in the nearby Kampung Sin San.Their house is located just behind Kudat Airport. House owner Qayyum Amirdad, 51, said his wife and 11-year old son were in the living room when they heard a loud noise before the aircraft crashed into the side of their house. "The plane came from the back and hit our bedroom, dining hall and car porch," he said when contacted. Qayyum who was not at home at the time, said he was shocked when he heard the news and rushed home to find firefighters and police at the scene assisting the passengers out from the plane. He said one of the aircraft fans was still spinning at the time. "My wife and son were still inside the house and they were panicking so I told them to leave through the back door. They were panic and I told them to leave the house through the back door," he said. The crash claimed the life of a man in his 90's while two other people were still in critical condition and three others injured. the casualty cant be the co-pilot?if this report is correct man in his 90's

update as of 7pm [MEDIA STATEMENT: 7.00pm] MH3002 Incident at Kudat, Sabah Malaysia Airlines regretfully confirms that there has been one fatality following the MASwings' Twin Otter, DHC6 9M-MDM MH3002 crash incident. The total number of injuries is five. The total number of passengers and crew on-board were 16 persons. The crash happened in the vicinity of Kudat Airport at 2.50pm on 10th October 2013. Malaysia Airlines’ Group Chief Executive Officer/MASwings Chairman, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya is on his way to Kota Kinabalu for a press conference to address the incident at 10.00pm today, 10 October 2013 at the Ming Garden Hotel, Kota Kinabalu. This is the first incident involving MASwings at Kudat. Updates on the injured passengers will be confirmed in the upcoming statement. The cause of the incident is still under investigation. Focus of the airline is on the well-being of the passengers, crew and other affected parties. Malaysia Airlines together with MASwings will also continue to monitor the situation at the crash site and update on the situation. Families of passengers who were on-board may call +603- 78841234 for further enquiries. The media hotline is +603- 87871276. The contact number in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah is +088-515320

story from the star KOTA KINABALU: At least three people were injured when a twin-otter MASwings aircraft skidded off the runway and hit a house during landing in Sabah’s northern Kudat airport. Details remain sketchy though at least three people were hurt in the crash that occurred at around 2.55pm on Thursday. It is learned that a pilot and two others were in serious condition while the others including passengers numbering sustained minor injuries. There were 16 people aboard the plane including the pilot. All were rushed to the Kudat hospital for immediate treatment. MASwings officials when contacted said that they would be releasing details later as they were still in process of gathering information for an official statement. The immediate indication is that the aircraft skidded due to strong winds though officials were unwilling to speculate at this moment. Kudat is about 170km from Kota Kinabalu and the twin otter serves as part of MASwings rural air service in Sabah.

grey coloured seat with power socket Economy class seat http://rano360.com/ranoadidas2/index.php?limitstart=45

Suzanne try asking the plane @tweeting787 on twitter haha

BI 787 IFE Economy class personal Eco 9in touchscreen + USB Business class 15.4in touchscreen LCD with Panasonic eX2 + USB its a slim IFEbox

haha RB started a twitter account for its 787, @tweeting787 according to the reply on twitter:787 will touchdown in brunei sometimes friday morning

looks like there is a delay that affects RB long haul routes BI053 that were due to depart Brunei for Melbourne on 20 September 2013. The re-scheduled departure time is now at 0800 or 8am on 21 September 2013 with revised flight number, BI053D. Due to the above delay, Melbourne to Brunei flight, BI054, has now been re-scheduled to depart at 1800 or 6pm (Melbourne Local Time) and shall arrive into Brunei at 2310 or 11.10pm (Brunei Local Time). BI097 due to fly from Brunei to London via Dubai tonight - 21 September 2013. The re-scheduled departure time will be 0025 or 12.25am (Brunei Local Time) on 22 September 2013. Due to the above delay, Dubai to London flight, BI097 / 22 September 2013, has been re-scheduled and will now depart at 0545 or 5.45am (Dubai Local Time) same day and shall arrive into London at 2215 or 10.15pm (London Local Time). BI517 due to fly from Brunei to Bangkok on 21 September 2013. The re-scheduled departure time will be 2340 or 11.40pm (Brunei Local Time) on 21 September 2013. Due to the above delay, Bangkok to Brunei flight, BI518 / 21 September 2013, has been re-scheduled and will now depart at 0205 or 2.05am (Bangkok Local Time) on 22 September 2013 and shall arrive into Brunei at 0550 or 5.50am (Brunei Local Time) same day.

return i think,since i did a search for 1 and 2nov to kl on RB website, B$248.no sign of Dreamliner for those 2days,but 777

saw an ad in local brunei paper experience RB Dreamliner in November flights to KL from B$238,Singapore from B$287 (travel period from 1-30 Nov).Dreamliner only on selected flights

news from brunei times RB to buy new aircraft for short haul routes ROYAL Brunei Airlines (RB) is in the closing stages of procuring "brand new" aircraft for short haul flights beginning 2015. Deputy Chairman of RB Dermot Mannion said that RB was currently at the end of an evaluation process which new aircraft to add to the fleet of short haul flights. Referring the Brunei International Airport's $150 million modernisation project, as well as developments taking place RB, Mannion said "these are great moments of excitement and anticipation for Brunei." With the arrival of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in "a matter of a few weeks", Mannion said that those flying around the region between the period of October and December may also get a chance to experience the aircraft as RB will be flying the aircraft on regionally selected routes. RB's targeted date for the 787's first long haul flight is December 1 this year, with the plane's shorter haul flight set to give "the public a feel of what this wonderful aircraft is going to look like." RB will be the first carrier in South East Asia to deploy the Deamliner. Mannion has previously in an interview dubbed the aircraft as "game changer" for both for RB and "indeed the entire industry, incorporating the best in class passenger comfort and amenities." In an interview with Breaking Travel News in September last year, he added that the aircraft would be used on "daily services to Dubai, London and Melbourne."