Running AirBorneo therefore presents “an early test of whether Sarawak can not only acquire strategic assets but run them well,” Asrul said.
“The same question applies to Petros, where the stakes are much higher and the operational complexity far greater,” he added, referring to the Sarawak government’s wholly owned energy firm Petroleum Sarawak Bhd.
Through Petros, the Sarawak government is demanding regulatory control over the hydrocarbon reserves within its own territory – both onshore and offshore Borneo island. It is a bold push for autonomy that has threatened to upend national oil corporation Petronas’ monopoly over Malaysia’s lucrative hydrocarbon reserves.
“If AirBorneo works, it strengthens Sarawak’s case for greater control (over its resources),” Asrul said.
“If it struggles, critics will argue that the state is building the hardware of autonomy faster than the talent and systems needed to deliver it.”
Awang Azman said the public did not see Sarawak’s takeover of MASwings as an “ordinary corporate transaction”.
“Rather, they saw it as a promise by the Sarawak government to provide air services that are more stable, people-friendly, and better suited to Sarawak’s geographical realities,” he said.
“As such, flight disruptions affect more than just travel schedules. They can impact daily life, medical treatment, student mobility, public servants, small businesses, and rural residents.”
MORE PLANES, BETTER PLANNING
Airlines such as AirBorneo should ensure they have adequate aircraft available to offer continuous services to passengers while other planes in their fleet are being maintained, an economist said.
“The unavailability of spare parts should not have happened,” said Mohd Harridon Mohamed Suffian from the Universiti Kuala Lumpur Business School, who has decades of experience in the aviation and financial industries.
Airlines should plan ahead by using a comprehensive predictive maintenance process in their daily operations, he said.
And if AirBorneo had indeed inherited operational issues from MASwings, AirBorneo should have identified “the nature of the predicament before fully acquiring the entity”, Harridon said.
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