Malaysian airline set to fly the Puerto Princesa-Kota Kinabalu route

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — A Malaysian airline is planning to fly to Puerto Princesa City soon.
This means that the Palawan-Malaysia link is not confined to ferry service alone as MASwings, a division of Malaysian Airlines, has applied for a permit to operate at the Puerto Princesa International Airport.
MASwings is planning to introduce service to the Philippines with its new fleet of ATR 72-600 aircraft, according to City Tourism Officer Rebecca V. Labit.
 Labit said that in an effort to expand the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), MASwings announced its intention to operate flights between Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and Puerto Princesa in Palawan.

Labit said improved access for Palawan by air and sea will “further boost the movement of goods and services between the two countries and will open more opportunities in tourism and for the small-and-medium enterprise sector” among other economic opportunities.
“We have dreamed of this connectivity for a long time,” she said. “This is welcome news and exciting times for Palawan.”
Earlier, Datuk Hadji Roselan Jobar Mohammed, head of delegation of BIMP-EAGA Business Council, stated that MASwings intends to begin its entry into the Philippine market with a flight from Kota Kinabalu to Puerto Princesa. He added that the carrier’s application had been deferred a couple of times due to adverse market conditions. However, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has committed to provide incentives to airlines that will operate in the East Asean Growth Area.
“Puerto Princesa will be the airline’s first destination in the Philippines. The airline plans on eventually serving Zamboanga, Cebu, and Davao from its hub in Kota Kinabalu. It also hopes to add another flight to Puerto Princesa from its hub at Miri Airport in Sandakan,” Mohammed said.
He added that pending the receipt of the necessary regulatory approvals, the airline hopes to begin its service to the Philippines by Oct. 28 initially with an ATR 72-500 aircraft.
MASwings currently operates a fleet of 10 ATR 72-500 aircraft from its hubs at Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, and Miri Airport serving the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. The airline also serves destinations in Brunei and Indonesia on the island of Borneo.