BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – A new Brunei-based airline called GallopAir will take to the skies in the third quarter of 2024, positioning the sultanate as a potential aviation hub for the BIMP-EAGA region.
On Wednesday, the airline signed a letter of intent to purchase 30 aircraft from Chinese planemaker Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) in a deal worth US$2 billion.
The signing took place at the China-ASEAN expo in Nanning, witnessed by Hj Amer Hishamuddin, permanent secretary at Brunei’s Ministry of Development, and Daniel Leong, acting CEO of the Brunei Economic Development Board.
In a statement, GallopAir said the deal would have “profound implications” for both Brunei and Southeast Asia, enhancing connectivity in the region by offering direct flights from Bandar Seri Begawan to several cities in China and the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
Little is known about GallopAir, which is expected to be only the second Brunei-based airline operator after national carrier Royal Brunei Airlines. The Brunei government has yet to issue any statement about the airline, which has an office address listed in Batu Bersurat, but no official website.
Source: The Scoop
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October 30, 2023
