Royal Brunei ceasing operations to Auckland

On 21 June 2011 Royal Brunei Airlines (BI) announced that it is to cease operation to Auckland (AKL), Brisbane (BNE), Perth (PER) and Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) at the end of October 2011.

On 29 March 2011 Royal Brunei commenced operations to Melbourne which in future will be the only airport in Australasia that it serves.

Royal Brunei has been operating to New Zealand since 2003 under the "open skies" MALIAT.

No doubt the commencement of operations to AKL in early 2011 by four new airline operators from East Asia (see previous post) will have influenced Royal Brunei's decision to withdraw.

Brunei increases air services flexibility with the Philippines

On 31 March 2009 the Business Mirror reported that the Philippines has reached a new understanding on air services arrangements with Brunei. Features include a move from single to dual designation, a conditional increase in capacity based on aircraft load factors and separate provision for cargo capacity.

On 17 April 2009 the Brunei Times reported that Cebu Pacific was seeking to take up some of the new rights that are now available.

Kuwait signs "open skies" agreements with Thailand and Brunei

On 22 February 2009 the Thai News Agency reported that Thailand had signed an "open skies" air services agreement with Kuwait.

On 14 April 2009 the Brunei Times reported that Brunei had signed an "open skies" air services agreement with Kuwait.

These moves follow the signing of "open skies" agreements between Kuwait and separately Singapore (see previous post), Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar last year (see 9 September 2008 report from Peanuts!).

UK negotiates new air services agreements with Antigua, Brunei and Mauritius

The United Kingdom has recently signed new air services agreements with Antigua and Brunei.

The agreement with Antigua was announced by the UK on 14 November 2007, the day it was signed.

The agreement with Brunei was announced by the UK on 23 November 2007, again on the day it was signed. A statement by the Brunei Government gives some further details.

The Mauritius Government announced that on 6-7 November 2007 it also has negotiated new air services arrangements with the United Kingdom.

ASEAN Secretary General says progress towards regional "open skies" is slow

On 24 June 2007 Bloomberg reported comments by Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary General Ong Keng Yong to a World Economic Forum meeting that progress on reaching a limited "open skies" air transport agreement covering routes between ASEAN capitals by 2008 was proving to be slow.

Australia-Brunei air services arrangements expanded

On 26 April 2007 the Australian Minister of Transport Mark Vaile announced the expansion of capacity and routes available under the air services arrangements between Australia and Brunei Darussalam.

Extension of South East Asian fifth freedom exchange announced

On 24 April 2007 the Office of the President of the Philippines announced that the number of points available for fifth freedom air transport operations in the Brunei Darussalam/Indonesia/Malaysia/the Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) has been extended.

Malaysia seeking to liberalise air services arrangements with Singapore, Vietnam and Brunei

Bernama, the Malaysian national news agency, has a 9 February 2007 article reporting that Malaysia is to renegotiate its air services arrangements with Vietnam. This news comes out of bilateral discussions held during the ASEAN transport ministers meeting this week. Currently services between Malaysia and Ho Chi Minh City are capacity restricted with Malaysia using its full allocation of 14 flights per week.

The article also reports on a ministerial commitment to renegotiate the 34-year old Malaysia-Singapore air services arrangements. Currently the number of Singaporean and Malaysian airlines that can fly between Singapore and KL is restricted, thereby excluding the new low-cost carriers. A separate article reports that these negotiations will start in March.

Malaysia is also planning to negotiate with Brunei.

New Zealand has "open skies" arrangements in place with Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, the latter two through the MALIAT.