Royal Brunei Airlines
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| Royal Brunei Airlines | ||
|---|---|---|
| IATA BI |
ICAO RBA |
Callsign BRUNEI |
| Founded | 1974 | |
| Hubs | Brunei International Airport | |
| Frequent flyer program | Royal Skies | |
| Member lounge | Sky Lounge | |
| Alliance | Asia Miles | |
| Fleet size | 10 | |
| Destinations | 21 | |
| Headquarters |  Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei |
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| Key people | Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Hj Ahmad Hj Ibrahim (CEO) | |
| Website: http://www.bruneiair.com | ||
Royal Brunei Airlines (Malay: Penerbangan DiRaja Brunei, Jawi: ﻓﻧﺭﺑﺎڠن ﺩﻴﺮﺍﺝ ﺑﺮﻮﻧﻲ), or RBA, is the international airline of the Sultanate of Brunei. It is wholly owned by the Government of Brunei and is the flag carrier for the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. Its home base is the Brunei International Airport in Berakas, just to the north of the capital city of Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan. The IATA code is BI.
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[edit] History
[edit] Pre-Independence
Royal Brunei Airlines was established on 18 November 1974 with two Boeing 737s, one of which was put in service for the airline's first flight on 14 April 1975 from the brand new Brunei International Airport to Singapore. Flights to the then British colony of Hong Kong and the city of Kota Kinabalu and Kuching in East Malaysia/Malaysian Borneo also commenced the same day. Early route expansion included services to Manila, Philippines in 1976, and Bangkok, Thailand in 1977.
Royal Brunei acquired a third Boeing 737 in 1980, allowing the airline to reach Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1981 and Darwin, Australia in 1983.
[edit] From Independence
After independence from the United Kingdom on 1 January 1984, services commenced to Jakarta, Indonesia on the 3rd of January, thus linking all the other five capital cities of ASEAN to Brunei.
Three Boeing 757 aircraft were purchased in the mid eighties to enable the airline to expand to Taipei in 1986, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 1988. In 1990, Royal Brunei opened their first flight to Europe when they started services to Frankfurt, Germany, via Bangkok and Dubai. The goal was to serve London and services to London Gatwick Airport commenced in 1990 via Singapore and Dubai. Services were changed to London Heathrow Airport in 1991. 1991 also saw the opening of a route to Perth, Western Australia and to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia via Dubai.
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[edit] Rapid Expansion
The airline's rapid expansion made it a necessity to sell the 737s and buy Boeing 767 aircraft. The first delivery of the Boeing 767 for Royal Brunei broke a world record when it flew 17 hours and 55 minutes non stop from the Boeing company in Seattle to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, on its way to Brunei. Seven more 767s were delivered, taking the fleet to eight 767s and two Boeing 757s (One of the 757s were sold off to fund the purchase of the new 767s).
In March 1993, Abu Dhabi was added to the route network and flights to Frankfurt and Jeddah were routed through Abu Dhabi instead of Dubai. Bali was the second Indonesian city to be added to the network in May of the same year. Flights to the third destination in Europe, Zürich commenced in August 1993 via Kuala Lumpur and another new destination Bahrain. This was the fist time RBA has added two cities simultaneously to its network. Before the end of the year, services to Beijing, China (October) and Cairo, Egypt (November) via Kuala Lumpur and Bahrain, were inaugurated. Royal Brunei sold its last Boeing 737-200s to Aloha Airlines of Hawaii in 1993.
The growth of the network continued in 1994. The delivery of two Fokker 50 aircraft were used to start services to Miri and Labuan in East Malaysia of the same year. Flights to Brisbane, Australia and Osaka, Japan commenced the same year in June and December respectively (the Brisbane service was initially routed via Darwin but later upgraded to a nonstop flight). The desire to link all the major Oil and Gas cities on Borneo saw the addition of Balikpapan to the route network in December.
In 1995 services began to Kolkata, (Calcutta), India via Singapore and then on towards Dubai. Two Dornier 228s were purchased in the same year and leased to the Malaysian regional carrier Hornbill Airways to connect Brunei by air to Mulu. The service to Cairo was quietly suspended in the middle 1995 due to low passenger traffic.
The F-50s were replaced by the larger and more comfortable F-100 jets in 1996 which fueled expansion to Bintulu. The route to Zurich was suspended in September 1996 to enable Royal Brunei to commence daily services to London Heathrow. Some of the flights to London were routed through Yangon, Myanmar instead of Singapore. Yangon proved to be not economically viable and was dropped from the route the next year.
[edit] Consolidation
In August 1997, a Dornier 228 owned by Royal Brunei Airlines but operated and maintained by Malaysian regional carrier Hornbill Airways, carrying 19 passengers to Miri, crashed into high ground near Miri airport. All 19 passengers and two crew perished. The reason for this crash is still unclear. The Dornier 228s were subsequently sold off in 1997 and short haul services connecting Brunei to Miri, Labuan, Mulu and Bintulu were terminated. Surabaya was the fourth Indonesian destination to be added to the network later that year.
Unprofitable routes to Beijing and Osaka were suspended in 1998 and the F-100s were also sold off to Alpi Eagles Airlines in 1998.
Kuwait was added to the network in 2000 and was served via Singapore, Kolkata and Dubai. It was suspended a year later. Services also began to Shanghai Pudong International Airport in 2001. Royal Brunei started online booking facilities the same year.
[edit] Restructuring
After years of unprofitable operation, Royal Brunei began major restructuring in year 2003. The 2003 Strategic plan was for Royal Brunei’s fleet to grow from 9 aircraft in 2003 to 24 aircraft by the year 2013. The fleet of 6 Boeing 767 will be changed to 15 new narrow-bodied aircraft and 8 wide-bodied aircraft. The plan calls for half of the new aircraft to be leased and the others to be purchased. The plan also included new services to Auckland, Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City, Sydney and Seoul and to increase its frequencies on other flights.
For 2004 to 2008, Royal Brunei will invest $400 million to buy narrow-bodied aircraft. For the year 2008 to 2013, Royal Brunei will invest $800 million to buy wide-bodied aircraft to replace the current fleet of B767-300 aircraft and also further increase the number of narrow-bodied aircraft.
In 2003 the deliveries of the new Airbus A319 and A320 marked the start of Royal Brunei’s re-equipping exercise. Two A319s were delivered on August 28 and September 3. A320s were added December 9 and January 3, 2005. All of the Airbus were leased from CIT Aerospace of USA in a seven year contract. The Airbuses fly mainly on regional routes. With the introduction of new aircraft, the Boeing 757 has been phased out and sold to other parties.
In May 2003 Royal Skies, the airlines’ frequent flyer programme, was launched.
On 31st Oct 2003, Royal Brunei’s jet touched down at Auckland International Airport making it the first destination in New Zealand and the first new destination added to the network as part of the restructuring exercise.
By end of the year 2003, Royal Brunei entered a controversial agreement with Royal Tongan Airlines of Tonga. Under the agreement, Royal Tongan Airlines was to wet-lease one of the two remaining B757s of Royal Brunei. In return, Royal Brunei was given the opportunities to open its market to the US. The deal did not happen because Royal Tongan Airlines went into bankruptcy with huge debt in mid 2004, after less than 6 months of operation. As Royal Tongan Airlines was unable to pay the fees, the B757 was repossessed and stored in Auckland International Airport.
In January 2004, the airline launched Blue Sky Fares, a low cost Internet booking facility, offering cheaper economy class fares to selected destinations, to compete with low cost carriers in the region, such as AirAsia.
Starting in March 2004, 4 of Royal Brunei’s Boeing 767 aircraft were modified by the introduction of SkyDreamer seats in Business Class to replace the old First Class and Business Class Skyluxe seats. Business Class was renamed as Sky Executive Class and in Economy class each seat was installed with an 8.4 inch TV.
The unprofitable Taipei route was suspended in late 2004. Kuching and Kolkata were dropped on 31 Oct 2004 due to the rising oil prices, but at the same time, Sydney was added to the route network. Commencing in November, flights to Jeddah were routed through Sharjah instead Abu Dhabi.
The last B757 was retired from the Royal Brunei fleet in early 2005.
[edit] 2006 and Beyond
Royal Brunei added Ho Chi Minh city to its network list in May 2006, flying there 3 times every week.
Pilots from Brunei have been sent for training to fly the Boeing 777.[citation needed]
[edit] Destinations
see full article: Royal Brunei Airlines destinations.
Royal Brunei has started services to three of the five destinations (Auckland, Sydney and Ho Chi Minh) stated in the 2003 restructuring plan. Services to Tokyo and Seoul mentioned in the restructuring plan have yet to commence.
[edit] Fleet
The Royal Brunei Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (at August 2006) [1] :
| Quantity | Type | Registrations/Configuration |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Airbus A319-132 | (V8-RBP,V8-RBR) (8J/114Y) |
| 2 | Airbus A320-232 | (V8-RBS,V8-RBT) (12J/132Y) |
| 4 | Boeing 767-33AER | (V8-RBF,V8-RBG,V8-RBH,V8-RBJ) (23J/182Y) |
| 1 | Boeing 767-33AER | (V8-RBL) (23J/182Y) (Non-retrofit) |
| 1 | Boeing 767-33AER | (V8-RBK) (18J/231Y) |
[edit] Subsidiaries
[edit] Abacus Distribution Systems
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This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
Abacus Distribution Systems (Brunei) is one of Abacus International national marketing company. The Brunei operation was established in August 1990. Abacus Brunei is jointly owned by Royal Brunei Airlines and Abacus International. Abacus provides travel information and reservations specifically tailored to the Asia-Pacific region. Abacus Brunei currently has some 30 travel agents with more than 140 terminals in Brunei.
[edit] Brunei International Air Cargo Centre
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This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
Brunei International Air Cargo Centre (BIACC) is a joint-venture company set up in January 2001 between Royal Brunei Airlines as the majority shareholder, Circle Freight International and Royal Brunei Technical Services (now Royal Brunei Engineering) to handle air cargo activities into and out of Brunei. The BIACC also provides service to international freight operators including FedEx at the Brunei International Airport.
[edit] Mulaut Abattoir
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This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
see main article Mulaut Abattoir
The Mulaut Abattoir is located in Mulaut in the Brunei-Muara District. Mulaut Abattoir Sdn. Bhd. was privatised in August 1990. It provides convenient, hygienic and Islamic-sanctioned slaughtering facilities to local farmers and butchers, as well as for the Islamic rituals of Qurban, Aqiqah and other religious ceremonies. The abattoir also sells halal meat to the public and caters the airline’s inflight catering needs.
[edit] RBA Golf Club
RBA Golf Club, the first 18-hole public course lies just above five minutes from the Brunei International Airport and twenty minutes drive from the heart of Bandar Seri Begawan.
It was designed by Max Wexler, Irrigation by Rain Link Australia and Drainage by Grove & Sawyer Pte. Ltd. With the outstanding holes designed along and to the west of the airport runway, it is characterised by a generally slightly hilly layout with huge man-made lakes spread out over the course add to the beauty of the surroundings and at the same time serve to irrigate the course.
There are more than enough hazards to challenge the seasoned golfers. Several types of palms and coconut trees planted around the course, with Tifway 419 on the fairways and roughs while the greens are planted with Tifdwarf.If there is not enough time for a game of golf, a double-storey floodlit driving range is well worth a visit in the evening.
[edit] Royal Brunei Catering
see main article Royal Brunei Catering
Royal Brunei Catering (RBC) was formerly Dairy Farm (Brunei) and was established as a joint venture between Dairy Farm and Royal Brunei Airlines in 1975 to operate the flight kitchen at Brunei International Airport. In addition to this, it also operated an ice cream parlour at Darussalam Plaza on Jalan Sultan in Bandar Seri Begawan.
When Royal Brunei Airlines purchased the shares held by Dairy Farm, the company was renamed Royal Brunei Catering.
RBC operates the flight kitchen at Brunei International Airport, the Express Fast Food chain in Brunei and a number of restaurants in Bandar Seri Begawan, including two halal Chinese restaurants - Emperor's Courts and Dynasty.
Royal Brunei Trading is a subsidiary of Royal Brunei Catering. It operates a number of duty free shops in Brunei International Airport and is part owner of the McDonald's franchise in Brunei.
[edit] Royal Brunei Engineering
In early 2001, the airline began preparations to spin off its engineering department as a separate entity, to be known as Royal Brunei Engineering, offering airframe maintenance, technical and material support services. Royal Brunei Engineering is based at the hangars of Brunei International Airport.
In 2004 the airline's EASA Part 145 approved heavy maintenance facility in Brunei added the A320 family of aircraft to the Boeing B757 and B767 heavy maintenance in which it already specialised. The spin-off will be finalised in the third quarter of October 2006.
[edit] Royal Brunei Executive
The Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines is Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Hamid bin Pengiran Haji Mohd Yassin, Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer is Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ahmad bin Haji Ibrahim while other Brunei citizens hold the directorial posts within the departments of Commercial, Engineering, Corporate Strategy, Customer Services and Administration and Personnel Services.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of Royal Brunei Airlines Sendirian Berhad consists of senior government officials. They are:
1. Yang Mulia Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Hamid bin Pengiran Haji Mohd Yassin Chairman
2. Yang Mulia Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Abu Bakar bin Pengiran Seri Indera Pengiran Haji Ismail Deputy Chairman
3. Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Hamid bin Haji Mohd Jaafar Director
4. Yang Mulia Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah Director
5. Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Awang Haji Abdul Kani bin Haji Mohd Salleh Director
6. Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ahmad bin Haji Ibrahim Director
7. Yang Mulia Dr Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah Director
[edit] Trivia
The airlines has a code share agreement with Singapore Airlines (Singapore - Brunei), Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur - Brunei), bmi (London to 6 British cities) and Dragon Air of Hong Kong (Hong Kong - Brunei). Royal Brunei operates on all these routes with the exception of the domestic British flights which are operated by bmi.
As Brunei is an Islamic society, where the sale of alcohol is forbidden, Royal Brunei does not serve alcohol on board its flights, however passengers are permitted to take along their own and all meals served are halal.
All of Royal Brunei flights are non-smoking flights.
The award winning inflight magazine of Royal Brunei Airlines is title Muhibbah which is published 6 times a year.
Royal Brunei Airlines was 'Runner Up' to Hawaiian Airlines for 'Best Entertainment for the Main Screen' category as determined by an international media panel that evaluated inflight audio, video, magazine and interactive media from leading passenger airlines worldwide. RBA was nominated in the following three categories: Best In-Flight Audio Entertainment, Best Entertainment for the Main Screen and Best Overall In-Flight Entertainment (Small Fleet, 24 or fewer aircraft).
[edit] See also
- Royal Skies - Frequent Flyer Program
- Blue Sky Fares - Low cost internet fares
- Golden Touch Holidays
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Flight International, 3-9 October 2006
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