KUCHING, Jan. 2 -- Sarawak's state-owned airline AirBorneo officially took off with inaugural flights to Mukah and Tanjung Manis from Kuching International Airport (KIA), marking a key milestone in the state's aviation sector.

The inaugural flight to Mukah carried 54 passengers, while the service to Tanjung Manis had 15 passengers.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin said the launch followed the successful takeover of MASwings by AirBorneo on January 1 as scheduled.

"Today marks a very historical milestone achieved by Sarawak.

"I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the hardworking team that was able to achieve this target of taking over MASwings on January 1. We were right on track," he told a press co...