Flights to Auckland, Brisbane, Perth, Ho Chi Minh City and Kuching[/h]Bandar Seri Begawan - National Flagship Carrier Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) announced yesterday that it will be suspending services to Auckland, Brisbane, Perth and Ho Chi Minh City effective after the last scheduled flights of October 2011.
Flights to Kuching will also be suspended after the last scheduled flight of July 2011.
Sources indicated that this is part of the airline's major "restructure". The rationale behind the suspension, according to a statement from the airline, comes as the company "moves forward with a comprehensive and sustainable plan to improve its operations, financial performance and customer service experience".
RBA's Deputy Chairman Dermot Mannion said, "It was not an easy decision to reduce RBA's route network. However, it is the first step towards creating a stronger foundation that will allow the airline to enhance our value to customers, employees, and society."
It is not immediately known how the move will affect the airline's staff, but it is understood they will be offered redundancy packages or alternative employment with the airline, according to MICE Asia-Pacific and Business Travel News, a Business Tourism News Magazine based in Australia.
When contacted, the airline's Corporate Communications declined to divulge further details, but the press release said it's part of stabilisation plan.
The unexpected move caught the general public and also travel agents by surprise and is expected to come as a blow to UK travellers who book on RBA's flights en route to Australasia. The airline is known for its attractive pricing in both business and economy classes.
This might also hamper Brunei's efforts in making the country as the main gateway to Borneo, as tourists from UK and Australia planning to make stopovers here will need to divert their routes.
Speaking to the Bulletin, Chris Robles, Brunei Tourism Board's Director of Marketing & Promotion said it might impede Brunei's connectivity and may cause a negative impact on the number of tourist arrivals here. "We tend to lose transit passengers especially from Australia and UK. Brunei has a reputation of being a convenient destination for these transiting passengers," he said.
He revealed that the Sultanate has recorded a steady increase in the number of Australian and New Zealand tourist arrivals.
"About 20,000 travellers from Australia and New Zealand arrived here last year and it was an increase from the previous year."
However, Chris said it's time for them to "rethink their strategies" and "adapt to it". "We need to find ways to compensate this loss and continue to develop the market by coming up with alternative and creative solutions," he said.
Passengers who have purchased tickets for travel on the date of suspended flights are asked to contact the travel agents from whom they have purchased their tickets or their nearest RBA ticketing office.
