RBA and SIA end code share agreement

By Zasika Musdi

Royal Brunei Airlines and Singapore Airlines have mutually agreed to end their code share agreement on flights between Brunei and Singapore.

The code share agreement between the airlines was announced July 18, 2003 and the first code share flight took off September 14, 2003. The last code share flight will be on Thursday, January 31, 2008.

To serve the travelling public better, Royal Brunei Airlines now operates two flights daily to Singapore but when the agreement was originally signed, RBA did not have this many flights.

With departure times from Brunei at 8am and 6pm, the schedule caters for the needs of holidaymakers and day-trippers to and from Singapore.

When asked whether RBA will experience an increase in competition, a representative from the national carrier said there is competition between RBA and Singapore Airlines even with the code share agreement in place, as each airline independently determines its own fares for its flights between Brunei and Singapore.

Budget airline Tiger Airways, meanwhile, will soon be entering into the fray providing services to Singapore.

A Tiger Airways spokesperson when enquired on when the airline will start its services to Brunei told the Borneo Bulletin that the airline is working on finalising operational details as well its network schedule, which is subject to change with respect to air traffic agreement developments within Asean.

RBA in its press statement said that all passengers who made earlier bookings intended for travel after the termination date of the code share agreement will be re-accommodated onto flight BI421 or BI423 from Brunei, or, if flying from Singapore, flight BI422 or BI424.

For further enquiries on how this may affect bookings, passengers are advised to contact the local RBA office.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin