Royal Brunei Airlines Changes Passenger Plane to All-Cargo Aircraft

[ASEAN NOW News]

Recently Royal Brunei Airlines decided to confert one of their A320neo passenger plane into a cargo aircraft.

 

Photo: Courtesy of RB Airlines

 

As many airlines around the world have seen passenger traffic drop by up to 95% due to the pandemic, airlines have had to either mothball their planes, or quickly look to other revenue streams to survive.

 

Royal Brunei chief executive Captain Khalidkhan Hj Asmakhan said that their airline is diversifying its operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) has therefore repurposed one of its seven A320neo aircraft into a cargo carrier, as it seeks to capitalise on growing air freight demand.

 

In a statement issued on recently, the national carrier said its first dedicated cargo-in-cabin flight took off at the end of last month.

 

The newly converted cargo aircraft will initially operate five times a week delivery good across the region.

 

Captain Khalidkhan Hj Asmakhan said “We’re delighted to launch this new service to the cargo community to further support the strong regional demand and of course continue our role of transporting essential supplies and services into and from Brunei.”

 

“Our cargo operations have performed strongly over the last 12 months and this A320neo conversion allows us to further build on our capability, network and the strategic location of Brunei to maximise the opportunity,” the CEO added.

 

Royal Brunei Airlines CEO Captain Khalidkhan poses for a photo with staff on board the A320neo, which has been converted into a cargo aircraft. Photo: Courtesy of RB Airlines

 

While the price of shipping goods by sea has soured due to a shortage of actual containers, global air cargo demand reached a record-high this year, up 4.4 percent compared to March 2019, according to the International Air Transport Association.

 

Royal Brunei has been grappling with the impact of COVID-19 as travel restrictions across the world have led to very weak passenger demand.

 

The majority of their flights have been suspended, while staff were required to take compulsory leave and all foreign pilots were laid off last year.

 

The flag carrier currently flies to nine destinations to maintain trade connectivity for food, medical supplies and other consignments.

 

Royal Brunei has been finding ways to make money over the past year, providing hospitality training courses, curated dining services at its Brunei business class lounge and operating its Dine & Fly domestic sightseeing flights.