Borneo Airways Limited

Borneo Airways Limited (IATA: AB) also known as Borneo Airways, was the flag carrier and the principal domestic airline in British Borneo (later constituting the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak and the country of Brunei Darussalam) based in Labuan between 1957 until 1 April 1965 when it merged with Malaysian Airways.

This article is about the airline which operated 1953-1965 in British and Malaysian Borneo. For the Royal Brunei Airlines subsidiary which operated 1997-1999, see Borneo Airways (1997–1999).

Borneo Airways Limited
IATA ICAO Callsign
AB BORNEO
Founded1953 (As Sabah Airways Ltd.)
1957 (As Borneo Airways Ltd.)
Ceased operationsApril 1, 1965 (1965-04-01)
(incorporated into Malaysian Airways)
HubsSandakan Aerodrome (Before 1955)
Labuan Airport
Secondary hubsJesselton Airport
Fleet size5 (Three DC-3 and two Twin Pioneers) at 1965[1]
Destinations23[2]
Parent companyBritish Borneo Governments (51%)[3]
BOAC and Malayan Airways (49%)
HeadquartersSandakan, North Borneo (1953)
Labuan, North Borneo (1955)
Jesselton, North Borneo (1962)
Key peopleL.C. Harding
(Former chairman, 1957-1959)
D.E.M. Fiennes
(Former chairman, 1959-1964)[4]
Kwang Tong Ming
(Former chairman, 1964-1965)[5]

The airline was originally founded in 1953 as Sabah Airways Limited. (SAL), to operate an air route between Sandakan and Jesselton (present-day Kota Kinabalu). The airline operated scheduled passenger service, as well as cargo, mail and chartered services primarily on the three British Borneo (and the subsequent corresponding East Malaysian and Brunei) territories.

History

Sabah Airways Ltd.

Borneo Airways traced its history to Sabah Airways Ltd. (SAL), established by the Straits Steamship Company Limited and the government of British North Borneo. A subsidiary of Malayan Airways, the airline was launched in order to provide internal feeder service and rural flights in the territory.

The proving flights started in May 1953 followed by a scheduled twice weekly flights in June 1953, linking Jesselton and Sandakan via Kudat, Ranau and Keningau. The operation later continued to Tawau in September 1953 and Lahad Datu in 1954.[6]

By 1955, the network was broadened into the State of Brunei and the Colony of Sarawak, with the airline acquiring the third de Havilland Dragon Rapide essential for its expansion. The base was also being shifted to Labuan Airport, replacing Sandakan Aerodrome, due to its more central geographical location for the routes.[7]

Borneo Airways Ltd.
A Borneo Airways Douglas DC-3 (9M-AND) aircraft in Tawau Aerodrome, 1964.

In 1957, the North Borneo Government with the government of Sarawak and Brunei established a new company in association of British Overseas Airways Corporation and Malayan Airways to form Borneo Airways, a successor of Sabah Airways. The company raised its capital amount to $580,000 of which 51% of its shares were jointly owned by the British Borneo Government.[8] The company was registered in Kuching, Sarawak; while its main operating & maintenance base, hangar and company headquarter remained in Labuan.[9][10] The company was delegated the task to operate and further developing the internal air services between the three territories. By 1958, all of the former Sabah Airways assets were officially shifted into Borneo Airways.[11]

The airline acquired 2 new Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer in April 1958, originally purchased jointly by the Governments of Sarawak, Brunei and North Borneo in January 1956. The aircraft is able to carry 16 passengers and was used to replace the feeder flights operated by de Havilland Dragon Rapide.[12]

The company received its first DC-3 leased from Malayan Airways in 31 August 1958 for its mainline route, the aircraft was also specially modified to increase the seat capacity from 28 to 30 seats. The inaugural flight for the DC-3 service was commenced on 1 September 1958 between Tawau-Lahad Datu-Sandakan-Jesselton, by 6 September 1958, the flight was extended southbound to include Brunei Town (present-day Bandar Seri Begawan) and Bintulu under a biweekly service. 3 local air hostess were also trained in Labuan to serve the route.[13]

Borneo Airways air hostess clad in their uniform.

During its first year of operation in 1957/1958, the airline projected a revenue of $1,150,848.[14] By 1960, the airline had registered 32,782 passengers for the year 1959/1960, a 35% growth compared to the previous year. During the same period, the airline also flew 76 tonnes of mail and recorded 187 tonnes of cargo.[15]

In September 1962, the airline received another 30-seater DC-3 to accommodate the healthy passenger traffic growth from the main urban and commercial areas of the British Borneo Territories.[16][17] By 1964, the airline revenue grew to $3,675,275. The airline had also commenced the recruitment of local Bornean male for its pilot training program.[18]

The airline timetable was aligned together with Malayan Airways, as the external service to Singapore was operated by the latter (in which the British Borneo Government possessed a minor shareholdings in the company).[19][20] Based on the interlined agreement, the Malayan Airways route to and from Singapore was streamlined with the local Borneo Airways schedule, in order to provide practical transfer time for the passengers connecting on multiple destinations via the two carriers.[21]

Merger with Malaysian Airways

The possibility of unification between Malayan with Borneo Airways to form Malaysian Airways was purposed as early as April 1963 by Captain R.P Mollard, the General Manager of Malayan Airways, anticipating of the Formation of Malaysia originally scheduled on 31 August 1963.[22]

In April 1964, the Transport Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Haji Sardon has mooted the prospect of merger between Malaysian Airways and Borneo Airways.[23] The aim was to provide an efficient service under a single company and administration, as well as a better integration of the newborn country. An increased air connectivity between East and West Malaysia, together with a uniform rates resulting a reduction of fares within the intra-Borneo flights were also expected following the consolidation.[24][25]

It was officially incorporated by then Malaysian Airways Limited (later known as Malaysia-Singapore Airlines, precursor of present-day Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines) in April 1, 1965.[26] At the time of the takeover, Borneo Airways fleet consisted of 3 Douglas DC-3 and 2 Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer aircraft.

Upon the inception, Malaysian Airways stationed 2 Fokker F27 Friendship to be based in East Malaysia to replace the DC-3 aircraft,[27] and the thinner feeder routes operated by Twin Pioneer were rebranded from "Ulu Air Service" to "Rural Air Service" under Malaysian Airways.

Fleet
Borneo Airways fleet[28][29]
Aircraft Total Passengers Routes Introduced Retired Replacement Notes
de Havilland Dragon Rapide 3 9
  • All
    (Prior to 1958)
  • Regional
    (1958-1961)
 1953
(Under Sabah Airways)		 1961 Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer
Douglas DC-3 4 30 Mainline 1958 1971
(Under Malaysia-Singapore Airlines)		 Fokker F27 Friendship
(By Malaysian Airways, 1965)
  • All Borneo Airways aircraft were re-registered from British North Borneo aircraft registration VR-Oxx to Malaysian Registration 9M-Axx in 1964.
  • The fleet were transferred into Malaysian Airways following the merger in 1 April 1965.
Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer 3 16 Regional 1968
(Under Malaysia-Singapore Airlines)		 Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander
(By Malaysia-Singapore Airlines, 1968)

Destinations
A Borneo Airways Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer (VR-OAE) aircraft mid flight in 1968. Prior to 1964, all of the Borneo Airways fleet were granted under North Borneo aircraft registration.
Borneo Airways route network in 1963. The flights to Hong Kong and Manila from Jesselton were operated by Cathay Pacific, while the route to Singapore via Kuching was handled under Malayan Airways.

Borneo Airways historically operated scheduled services to the following destinations. Towns served by DC-3 are noted in bold.

Accidents and incidents

Borneo Airways had several incidents and accidents over its history, with 2 hull loss although none has resulted any loss of life during its operation.[30]

  • 27 March 1959 - Borneo Airways Flight 651, a de Havilland Dragon Rapide (VR-OAB) crashed in Lahad Datu Airport, the aircraft was likely withdrawn from service after the incident.[31]
  • 14 May 1958 - Borneo Airways Flight 609, a Twin Pioneer aircraft (VR-OAC), damaged due to nose-over landing in Brunei Airport.
  • 21 December 1961 - A Borneo Airways operated Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer (VR-OAC) stalled and crashed at Jesselton Point, 5km from the runway. All five occupants on the aircraft (one pilot and four passengers) were injured in the accident. The aircraft was later written-off from service.
  • 7 September 1963 - Borneo Airways Flight 631, a Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer (VR-OAE) from Mukah to Sibu was damaged beyond repair after crash landing in a swamp after take-off. There were 14 occupants in the aircraft, with a passenger was slightly injured in the incident.[32]
  • 1 January 1964 - Borneo Airways Flight 567, a Douglas DC-3 aircraft en route to Tawau from Jesselton suffered power loss on one of its engines during flight. The plane was forced to return back to Jesselton. There were no injuries amongst the 16 passengers and 3 crewmembers.[33]
  • 5 May 1964 - Borneo Airways Flight 521, operated by a Douglas DC-3 aircraft from Kuching to Sibu burst one of its front tires upon landing. The aircraft was forced to an immediate stop in the middle of the runway. None of the 32 passengers were hurt.[34]

See also
  • MASwings, regional subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines. A contemporary successor of Borneo Airways, concentrating on intra-Borneo flights.

References
  1. "Borneo Airways". aerobernie - Borneo Airways.
  2. "Borneo Airways Limited - Timetable Effective 15th February, 1964". Timetable Images. Borneo Airways. 1964. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  3. Ho Ah Chon. Kuching 1950-1959 Sir Anthony Foster Abell's Era (PDF). Kuching: See Hua Daily News bhd. p. 33.
  4. "New chairman". The Strait Times. The Strait Times. 16 September 1959. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  5. "New chairman". The Strait Times. The Strait Times. 2 February 1964. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  6. Colonial Reports - North Borneo 1953 (PDF). London: Her Majesty Stationary Office. 1954. p. 127.
  7. Colonial Reports - North Borneo 1955 (PDF). London: Her Majesty Stationary Office. 1955. p. 111.
  8. Ho Ah Chon. Kuching 1950-1959 Sir Anthony Foster Abell's Era (PDF). Kuching: See Hua Daily News bhd. p. 33.
  9. Colonial Reports - North Borneo 1957 (PDF). London: Her Majesty Stationary Office. 1958. p. 133.
  10. "History of RAS". Malaysian Aviation Commission. Malaysian Aviation Commission. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  11. "Borneo airways To Take Over Assets". The Straits Times. 4 March 1958. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  12. Ho Ah Chon. Kuching 1950-1959 Sir Anthony Foster Abell's Era (PDF). Kuching: See Hua Daily News bhd. p. 35.
  13. Ho Ah Chon. Kuching 1950-1959 Sir Anthony Foster Abell's Era (PDF). Kuching: See Hua Daily News bhd. p. 41.
  14. "Airline had a loss of $174,000 for the year". The Straits Times. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  15. "Borneo Airways: Better Year". The Straits Times. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  16. "Borneo Airways Dakota". National Library Singapore. The Strait Times. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  17. Henderson, John William (1970). Area Handbook for Malaysia, Volume 45. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 611.
  18. "Profit rise last year for Borneo Airways". The Straits Times. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  19. North Borneo Annual Report 1962. London: Her Majesty Stationary Office. 1953. p. 178.
  20. "History of RAS". Malaysian Aviation Commission. Malaysian Aviation Commission. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  21. "Improved air services". The Straits Times. 12 July 1960. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  22. "Malaysian Airways". The Strait Times. The Strait Times. 29 April 1964. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  23. "Merger Hint: Malaysia and Borneo Airlines". The Strait Times. The Strait Times. 29 April 1964. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  24. "Sarawak Cabinet to discuss airways merger". The Strait Times. The Strait Times. 1 May 1964. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  25. "Air Merger". The Strait Times. The Strait Times. 27 March 1965. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  26. "Sarawak Cabinet to discuss airways merger". The Strait Times. The Strait Times. 6 February 1965. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  27. "We cannot sacrifice these principles, says MSA". The Strait Times. The Strait Times. 31 August 1967. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  28. "Borneo Airways". aerobernie - Borneo Airways.
  29. "MSA". aerobernie - MSA.
  30. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 28568". Aviation Safety Net. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  31. "DH.89 Dragon Rapide" (PDF). AirBritain.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  32. "Saturday 7 September 1963". Aviation Safety Net. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  33. "Crippled plane land safely". The Strait Times. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  34. "Dakota lands on flat tire". The Strait Times. Retrieved 31 July 2020.

General references
  • Story of The Sarawak Steamship Company, Vincent H.K.Foo and Chai Foh Chin, 2001, Pg 103-105.
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