KUCHING: Sarawakians will be given priority for any vacancies in AirBorneo, including technical and operational roles, once the acquisition of MASwings is finalised.

Sarawak Minister for Transport Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin said this aligns with the state-owned airline’s purpose, which aims not only to maintain rural air connectivity but also to create more high-income job opportunities for local talent.

“If there are vacancies, priority will go to Sarawakians. This has always been one of our main objectives – to generate more job opportunities for our people, especially in the aviation sector which offers high salaries,” he said.

He spoke at a press conference after his ministerial winding-up session at the 19th Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting on Tuesday.

Dato Sri Lee also confirmed that all MASwings staff will be automatically absorbed into AirBorneo once the acquisition is complete, ensuring uninterrupted services and preventing any job losses during the transition.

“They will be offered absorption. All of them, unless they personally opt otherwise. This is important to prevent any operational disruptions when AirBorneo takes over,” he explained.

He added that the development of AirBorneo will also pave the way for new opportunities within Sarawak’s aerospace industry through specialised training and technical certification involving aircraft maintenance, mechanical engineering, technicians and pilot simulator training.

“This is not just about running an airline. With AirBorneo, we want to build an ecosystem for maintenance, training and engineering so that more high-income jobs can be created,” he said. -UKASnews

Reporter : Grace John Lee
Photographer : Ibanez Jeffery Guang
Translator : Uilson Ng