MASwings


MASwings Sdn Bhd is a regional airline operating the Rural Air Services in East Malaysia. It took over the RAS previously operated by FlyAsianXpress. The first flight was on 1 October 2007, which is also the anniversary of the founding of Malaysia Airlines in 1972. Its headquarters are located in MAS/MASwings Administration Building, Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Sabah. Previously its head office was located in the Beautiful Jade Centre in Miri.
MASwings is a wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines.

History

Initial services

The airline began its operation on 1 October 2007, concentrating on secondary and tertiary routes within the Malaysian Borneo, inheriting the 22 destinations previously operated by Fly Asian Xpress. During its launch, the airline operated 4 50-seater Fokker 50 and 4 19-seater Twin Otter aircraft.

International expansion

On 2 December 2009, The Star reported that MASwings planned to begin flying to the Philippines, Kalimantan and Sulawesi by the middle of 2010. However, due to certain circumstances, they could not begin flying on some these routes yet, with the exception of Pontianak, Balikpapan and Tarakan, in the Kalimantan region.
operated by MASWings in 2007. The last Fokker-50 was retired by the airline in April 2010 and its services has now being superseded by the larger ATR-72.
On 26 June 2010, MASwings had been exploring the possibility of serving regional routes on the Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Philippines-East Asian Growth Area, specifically Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei, Cebu and Davao in the Philippines, Pontianak, Balikpapan and Tarakan in Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya, Indonesia. On 21 December 2010, MASwings' Managing Director Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani confirmed these routes and was waiting for the approval of the relevant authorities.
On 20 November 2011, during MASwings' fourth anniversary dinner in Kota Kinabalu, CEO Capt Mohd Nawawi Awang announced that the first phase of MASwings' BIMP-EAGA expansion plan will begin in early 2012, with Brunei and Kalimantan as its launching destinations. He said that "the foray into international destinations, would be another milestone in the airlines' history." He also added that it will "pave the way for many more people to travel into Sabah and Sarawak while further intensifying tourist arrivals and business opportunities."
MASwings announced on 5 December 2011 that the Ministry of Transport of Malaysia had approved MASwings' application to fly in the BIMP-EAGA region and the first flights will commence on 1 February 2012.
MASwings unveiled the first four flights in the BIMP-EAGA region on 16 December 2011. The Kota Kinabalu-Bandar Seri Begawan route and the Kuching-Bandar Seri Begawan route will begin on 1 February 2012, while the Kuching-Pontianak route and the Tawau-Tarakan route will begin on 6 and 13 February 2012 respectively. MASwings will provide 14 flights weekly on the Kota Kinabalu-Bandar Seri Begawan route, 7 flights weekly on the Kuching-Pontianak route, and 3 flights weekly on the Kuching-Bandar Seri Begawan route and the Tawau-Tarakan route.

Purposed rebranding as a regional leisure airline

The airline also considered jet-operations using 737 jet aircraft, enabling the airline to commenced routes to Davao in the Philippines, together with Makassar and Manado in Indonesia, as well as several Chinese destinations from Kota Kinabalu.

Fleet

Current fleet

As of July 2020, the MASwings fleet consists of the following aircraft:

AircraftIn ServiceOrdersPassengersNotes
ATR 72-500
9
—
68
Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otter
6
—
19Used for rural air service.
Total16—

Former fleet

Fleet replacement

On 9 November 2007, MASwings signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the purchase of 7 ATR 72-500s with options for 3 additional aircraft to expand its services in the states of Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia. MASwings received delivery of the first aircraft in 2008, second 6 aircraft in 2009 and remaining 3 by 2010. On 25 April 2010, its last F50 was retired from service.
On 28 February 2012, MASwings made an announcement that they will be replacing their ageing Twin Otters with newer planes, as the request had been sent to the Ministry of Transportation in 2011, and now awaiting final approval. The candidates for the replacement were Viking Air DHC-6 Series 400, Dornier Do 228NG and GECI SK-105 Skylander. However, with the Skylander project cancelled, it is likely that the candidates would be the Do 228NG and the Twin Otter Series 400.
On 18 December 2012, MASwings' parent company, Malaysia Airlines, ordered 36 ATR 72-600 for its subsidiaries. 16 of the ordered aircraft will be delivered to MASwings, while the remaining 20 will enter service with Firefly. For the replacement of the Twin Otter Series 300, six brand-new Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft will enter service in mid-2013.
On 25 July 2013, MASwings received its first ATR 72-600. However, due to cost reasons, all ATR 72-600s later retired from active duties and stored.

Destinations

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