Abdul Karim gestures as he answers questions from the media during a press conference at his office. – Photo by Mohd Faisal Ahmad
KUCHING (June 15): AirBorneo should be given the same treatment as other airlines and allowed time to grow instead of being subjected to disproportionate scrutiny, said Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He questioned whether the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) was applying the same standards across the aviation industry, claiming that the Sarawak-owned airline had been issued show-cause letters following complaints from some of its passengers.
“But when AirAsia or other airlines cancel multiple flights and significantly reduce their schedules, they do not appear to receive the same level of reprimand,” he told a press conference at his office here on Monday.
Abdul Karim further urged CAAM to be fair and consistent in its oversight of all airlines.
“Be fair to all airlines. Do not think that just because this is Sarawak’s airline, it can be singled out for criticism.
“When I see AirBorneo being reprimanded by CAAM, I believe fairness should prevail. Let us grow. Give us time,” he said.
He also expressed dissatisfaction with criticisms and what he described as “unrealistic expectations” placed on AirBorneo, stressing that the airline, which only began operations earlier this year, should not be expected to immediately perform at the level of established international carriers.
“Any business, including the aviation business, will always have a starting point. Our starting point was only earlier this year. We began with three small aircraft, not even jetliners.
“That is why when people criticise without direction, expecting AirBorneo to become like Singapore Airlines or Emirates immediately after its launch; they should think about it first,” he said.
Asked about reports that the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) had allocated slots for AirBorneo to operate direct flights to Bangkok during the Winter 2026/2027 scheduling season, Abdul Karim described the development as encouraging and welcomed the news.
“From this, we can see that to fly to destinations such as Bangkok and Hong Kong, a lot of approvals are needed from the authorities that oversee airports.
“That is how we improve. This afternoon, the Managing Director of AirBorneo will be coming to see me to brief me on some of their plans,” he said.
AirBorneo, however, clarified in a statement issued to The Borneo Post that it has not submitted an application to operate a direct Kuching-Bangkok service and that no such route has been formally confirmed at this stage.
