Borneo Airways (new)

[BC Tam 2]

NGO moots Borneo budget airline, Idris Jala as head

 

 

June 22, 2012

Jala could staff the new airline with retrenched MAS employees, said Siah. — File pic

 

KUCHING, June 22 — The government should consider awarding another low-cost carrier licence to cater for the greater Borneo and the Asean region through a new airline called Borneo Airways, The Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS) leader, Francis Paul Siah, said today.

 

He suggested the new licence be given to the Sarawak and Sabah state governments to jointly establish an airline to serve the interests of the people in the two states.

“An airline owned by Sabah and Sarawak is long overdue,” he said in a statement.

In Parliament yesterday, Pasir Salak Member of Parliament Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman urged the government to award another low-cost carrier licence to give some competition to AirAsia.

Siah said there was a ready airline boss in Sarawakian Datuk Seri Idris Jala, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, who could helm the new airline.

“Idris has done well in Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and he would also have a ready pool of airline staff if MAS decides to downsize its employees as part of its current restructuring exercise.

“What is left now is the political will of the two state governments to venture into the airline industry which should not be considered as an ‘unchartered territory’ now,” he added. — Bernama

 

[reezal 0]

I thought both Governments (Sabah & Sarawak) are already acquiring some stakes in MASwings.

[flee 5]

MAS is already struggling to stay afloat - what chances are there for Borneo Airways to be financially and operationally viable and sustainable?

[BC Tam 2]

First major hurdle may be to convince Datuk IJ to come on board

The chap had done and said the right things whilst big chief at MH, now very comfortably accomodated at ministry in PM's Dept (realistically, minister with non specific function - you make your own judgement on that )

Who in a right state of mind would then even contemplate to give all that up just to helm an LCC operation in environment where govt subsidies is norm rather than exception, merely on survival basis ?

[neilson 0]

I strongly agree Federal Government issue another LCC license,

but please don't become a GLC company again, private would be best...

[Lock SH 0]

Both 'Sabah Air' and 'Hornbills' are states owned (probably partially, if not 100%) flying establishment. If both states are serious about having their own airlines, they should expand from there and not creating a new one.