AirBorneo has clarified that it has not submitted an application to operate direct flights between Kuching and Bangkok, stressing that no such route has been formally confirmed.
The Sarawak-owned airline issued the clarification following reports by Thailand’s The Nation, which claimed AirBorneo had been allocated airport slots for a proposed Kuching-Suvarnabhumi service during the Winter 2026/2027 scheduling season.
In a statement, AirBorneo acknowledged strong public interest in its future expansion plans but emphasised that the Bangkok route remains unconfirmed.
“We appreciate and are thankful for the strong public interest in AirBorneo’s network expansion plans, and we can confirm that destinations across the region are part of our longer-term route planning.
“However, we wish to clarify that no application has been submitted for the recently mentioned Bangkok route at this stage, as nothing has been formally confirmed,” the airline said.
AirBorneo explained that any future international route would still need to undergo the necessary regulatory and approval processes before an official announcement could be made.
The airline cautioned the public against treating any reported route, flight frequency or schedule as final until all approvals have been obtained.
“As with any new international service, any future route would need to go through the standard regulatory and approval processes before it can be announced.
“We would caution against treating any specific route, frequency, or schedule as confirmed until that process is complete,” it added.
AirBorneo also revealed that its immediate priority remains improving and stabilising existing operations following service disruptions experienced earlier this month.
According to the airline, recovery efforts are progressing well, but attention remains focused on strengthening its intra-Borneo network before pursuing further expansion.
“Our current priority remains stabilising and strengthening our current intra-Borneo operations following the service disruptions earlier this month, which are now well into recovery.
“We are committed to getting the fundamentals right for our existing routes first,” the statement said.
The airline added that any future network expansion plans would be announced through its official communication channels once confirmed.
Earlier, The Nation, citing information from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), reported that AirBorneo had been allocated airport slots to operate 14 weekly flights on the Kuching-Suvarnabhumi-Kuching route during the Winter 2026/2027 schedule.
However, AirBorneo’s latest statement indicates that no formal application or approval process for the route has been completed at this stage.
