Aviation History
Royal Brunei Airlines, wholly owned by the Government of Brunei, was established in 1974 and began flying in 1975 with a pair of Boeing 737-200s, growing into the sultanate's sole scheduled carrier and a long-haul operator linking Bandar Seri Begawan to Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Oceania. The airline modernized its widebody fleet with Boeing 777s and, from 2013, Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Brunei's aviation sector remains small and centers almost entirely on this single flag carrier and Brunei International Airport.
The airline was founded on 18 November 1974 as Brunei's national carrier, wholly owned by the government.
Royal Brunei Airlines commenced operations on 14 May 1975 with two Boeing 737-200s serving regional Southeast Asian routes.
Boeing 757-200s were added to the fleet to extend the network beyond Southeast Asia into longer-range markets.
Royal Brunei operated a nonstop Seattle–Mombasa service of about 14,856 km, recognized in the Guinness Book of Records.
Auckland became Royal Brunei's first New Zealand destination, alongside the launch of the 'Royal Skies' frequent-flyer program.
Royal Brunei introduced the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to its fleet, beginning Dreamliner service on the Singapore route.
A regional turboprop subsidiary was formed with Malindo Air using ATR 72s; it was reintegrated into the mainline airline in 2020.
Royal Brunei began introducing Airbus A320neo aircraft alongside its 787s as part of a broader fleet renewal.
Royal Brunei Airlines · RB Link (former regional subsidiary, 2018-2020)
Wikipedia, Royal Brunei Airlines corporate history
Aviation Firsts
Old Airport, Brunei (Berakas) (1953): II. Dünya Savaşı'nda Japon işgali döneminde inşa edilen bir pist üzerine kuruldu, Müttefik kuvvetlerce yükseltildi. Ticari servis (Brunei Town–Anduki) 1953'te başladı; Malayan Airways 1955'ten itibaren kullandı. 1974'te Brunei International Airport açılınca kapandı, eski terminal bugün devlet dairesi olarak kullanılıyor. · Wikipedia ↗
Brunei International Airport — Bandar Seri Begawan (1974): İnşaatı 1970'te Mukim Berakas'ta başladı; 1974'te aşırı yüklenen eski havaalanının yerini almak üzere faaliyete geçti. Bugün Brunei'nin tek uluslararası havalimanı ve Royal Brunei Airlines'ın merkez üssü. · Wikipedia ↗
Klasik 'hiç inşa edilen en eski' karşısında 'hâlâ işleyen en eski' ayrımı: orijinal Berakas bölgesi havaalanı (Eski Havaalanı) II. Dünya Savaşı'ndan kalma bir Japon pistine dayanıyor ve 1953'te ticari servise açıldı, ama 1974'te bugünkü Brunei International Airport açılınca kapandı.
Royal Brunei Airlines (1974): 18 Kasım 1974'te 'Royal Brunei' olarak kuruldu, ilk uçuşunu 14 Mayıs 1975'te yaptı. Wikipedia bunu açıkça Brunei'nin ilk/en eski havayolu olarak adlandırmıyor; aramada ortaya çıkan bir '1950'lerin Borneo Airways'i yalnızca isim/IATA kodu düzeyinde kaldı, doğrulanabilir kuruluş detayı veya Brunei merkezli olduğu teyit edilemediği için rakip claim olarak kullanılmadı. · BI ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
No documented foreign entrant found. Checked Swissport, dnata, Menzies, WFS, SATS against Brunei International Airport and Royal Brunei Airlines' own pages. No ground handling company of any kind (foreign or domestic) is named in available sources beyond the Department of Civil Aviation as airport operator. dnata was found handling Royal Brunei Airlines' flights at Singapore Changi (not in Brunei itself), which doesn't qualify. No foreign GH entrant into Brunei's own market was found.