| James Kon |
ROYAL Brunei Airlines (RB) is considering increasing its number of flights to Nanning, China if the market volume continues to grow, and is also looking to further expand into the China market.
These points and the growing importance of the China market to RB were highlighted by Executive General Manager (Commercial) at RB Martin Aeberli in his speech during the Sungkai dinner hosted at The Horizons Seafood Restaurant for more than 90 Chinese travel agents from Nanning, who are in Brunei on a familiarisation trip.
Explaining RB’s history with China, Aeberli highlighted, “RB has a long history of flying to China and first started scheduled services to Beijing back in 1993, followed by Shanghai in 2002. In addition to these scheduled flights, RB introduced and operated charter flights to Zhengzhou in 2016 and Xian in 2017.
“In efforts to continue expanding RB’s foothold in the world’s largest market,” he said, “the Hangzhou and Nanning flights were launched a while back and form an important part of RB’s network. In particular, the Nanning flight has proven to be very popular. We hope that together with our partners, we can further increase flights into Nanning if the market volume continues to grow.”
One of the reasons for the success of the Nanning flight, Aeberli added, is due to “our partners having identified the attractiveness of Brunei as a destination”.
“There is more to Brunei than what is outwardly apparent… Brunei is blessed with stability and prosperity, the people in Brunei are genuine and friendly, Brunei offers fantastic nature attractions such as its beaches and pristine tropical rainforest reserves, all of which the government is working very hard to protect,” he said.
Aeberli added that moving forward, RB is looking at further expansion into the Chinese market, and that exciting projects are being lined up.
“We hope that we can communicate some of these new projects shortly and that you as our partner can also benefit from our stronger presence in the China market,” he said.
Touching on recent positive developments in the company, Aeberli noted, “The arrival of the new-generation Airbus A320neo aircraft two weeks ago opens up a range of opportunities for RB, including the possibility of expanding our regional operations as well as those in China. The new aircraft, with its longer flying range, affords RB a low-risk option to open up pioneer routes up to seven hours in duration. The A320neo will no doubt exceed our customers’ expectations and we are really excited for them.”
By the end of the year, RB will have on board seven of the new A320neo aircraft in its fleet. This means that RB will be operating one of the youngest fleets in Asia, with an average plane age of only two years. The national carrier will also soon be getting an additional Boeing 787 Dreamliner, bringing the total number of aircraft in its long-haul fleet – all comprising Boeing 787s – to five.
With the arrival of the new airplanes, Aeberli said, “RB will further expand its network and is aiming for a stronger presence in North Asia and China. Also, India is on our radar and we are constantly looking for new opportunities in the region.”
Meanwhile, Anthony Lim, Managing Director of Anthony Tours and Travel Agency, in a speech during the dinner, highlighted, “Since the first direct flight service from Nanning to Brunei Darussalam in July 2017, Brunei has seen a sharp increase in tourists from China. Chinese tourists travelling to Brunei are looking for good quality tours, safety, and a unique local cultural and heritage experience. Currently, the Nanning direct flight services operate twice a week, allowing for more tourists from Guangxi and making it easier for them to explore Brunei.”
Also in attendance at the dinner were Ning Bo, Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Brunei Darussalam; and officials from Brunei Tourism.