KUCHING, June 6 2026: Rights activist Peter John Jaban has urged the Sarawak government to give priority to Sarawak and Sabah first before expanding AirBorneo operations to other regions.
He said as plans move toward operational reality, AirBorneo’s core mandate must remain crystal clear that the people of Sarawak and Sabah must come first.
He called for the urgent acceleration of AirBorneo’s operational rollout, anchored by a ”Borneo-First" policy.
“While the long-term potential for international routes such as connecting Kuching to Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara, or expanding into wider Kalimantan makes strong economic sense for the future, AirBorneo must not lose sight of its founding purpose,” he said in a statement.
“Before looking across borders, the airline must secure domestic accessibility and social justice in air travel for Sarawakians and Sabahans,” Peter suggested.
He said the people of Sarawak deserve fair, stable, and affordable air travel throughout the year, adding that nobody should be priced out of returning home for vital cultural, religious, and family celebrations due to corporate price-gouging.
He believed that national integration and economic resilience cannot be achieved if the remain grounded by financial barriers.
“The current surge in travel demand is proof that the market is starved for a dedicated, localized carrier.
“AirBorneo must step into this gap immediately to serve the economic and social interests of its own people first.
Peter urged the government to translate this vision into reality without delay, ensuring that the wealth and progress of Sarawak directly translate into greater mobility, fairer pricing, and stronger family unity for every Sarawakian and Sabahan.
Peter noted that Sarawak is currently witnessing an unprecedented surge in demand for air connectivity across Borneo, saying that the surge is not random, but a direct result of Sarawak’s rapid, transformative economic expansion.
Peter said with massive growth in the state’s energy sectors, heavy industries in strategic hubs like Bintulu, digital economy infrastructure, and high-value foreign investments, the movement of people has reached a critical tipping point.
“Business leaders, technical experts, professionals, and families are moving within and into the region at a volume never seen before.
“Yet, under the current aviation landscape, the East Malaysians are bearing the brunt of this success,” he said, stressing “because we are geographically dependent on air travel, our people are being penalised by fluctuating, excessive airfares driven by market forces that treat our skies purely as profit centres.
“For a geographically isolated and dispersed population, air transport is not a luxury it is a critical public utility, just like our roads, bridges, and digital grids,” Peter said.
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