RBA prepares for Dreamliner launch

Royal Brunei will receive its first of five Boeing 787 Dreamliners next year to begin a restructuring of its long-haul network after it cut services to a bare minimum. Last year, Royal Brunei Airlines was forced to close the majority of its long-haul network amid a deteriorating economic situation. Fights to Auckland, Brisbane, and Perth in Australia, as well Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, were all pulled, as the carrier retreated to its core long-haul market, offering flights to just the UK. The Dreamliner is billed as the first mid-sized airplane capable of flying long-range, enabling airlines to open new, non-stop routes preferred by passengers. With a domestic population of fewer than half a million people, the government-owned carrier had fallen victim to an over ambitious expansion plan, largely driven by political pressure. Attempting to mirror the successes seen among carriers in the Middle East – notably Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways – Royal Brunei failed to make the cut. It has since undergone a management shake-up With a new management team in place, led by former chief executive at Aer Lingus, Dermot Mannion, the airline has new aircraft on order and a major overhaul of  its home-base Brunei International Airport is underway. Mannion recently told Breaking Travel News: “Sometimes in business you have to take one step backwards in order to take two steps forward. “This is exactly what we have done here. Our ownership has taken the timely but difficult decision to rationalise the long haul network. “In future, our long haul strategy will be to focus exclusively on daily same time services to London, Melbourne and Dubai, which are of key strategic importance to the country.” (EIN news). From ttrweekly