New airline to provide flights to BARMM routes starting this April
Heads up, travelers!
A new airline based in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will begin providing flights to the region starting in April this year.
In a report on the BARMM's official website, Bangsamoro Airways will pioneer flights connecting mainland BARMM to its island provinces.
This is in order to "make the provision of significant services accessible, strengthen bureaucracy and logistics, and bolster the region’s economy, tourism, and employment, among others."
Operated by Maguindanao del Norte-based Federal Airways Inc., the airline has its first flight to Zamboanga City and Sulu Province on April 24 and is expected to extend its services to the municipalities of Sibutu and Mapun in Tawi-Tawi after three months of operation.
For international flights, it will offer trips to the city of Kuta Kinabalu in Malaysia about one year later.
At present, Bangsamoro Airways will cater to six and 10 passengers for its Zamboanga City and Sulu Province trips respectively, including the aviators.
According to Mohammad Pasigan, the chairperson of the Bangsamoro Board of Investments (BBOI), the pioneering airline company "can fly anytime and anywhere in nearby BARMM provinces." He hopes that this can bring more investors to the autonomous region and cause a continuous growth in investments.
He also emphasized that upholding peace and order is crucial in urging more investors and bringing them into the autonomous region.
"Our greatest help as Bangsamoro citizens is to make our region peaceful and safe for our investors," Pasigan said.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the team behind Bangsamoro Airways said that they are "humbled to be given the support and opportunity to pioneer the first BARMM incorporated airline in the region."
"As a humble carrier of limited seater flights initially, we believe that baby steps will lead to giant footprints. The success of our airline will be very dependent on the support of the public, the Government of BARRM and all our partners and friends as we believe that working hand in hand is the path towards mutual success for all," the statement read.
"As a small airline outfit with big dreams, and with everyone's full support, we shall be able to expand our fleets, our seating capacity and extend our reach to cover the entire BARMM region eventually," it continued.
Based on a report by the BBOI, the BARMM recorded a total of P3.7 billion in investments, which was more than the P2.6 billion that they were targeting for this current fiscal year as of April 2024.