Royal Brunei Airways is delaying the launch of its non-stop flights to Brisbane until July 10 this year, a month later than it had previously planned.
The carrier cited “operational reasons” for the decision to defer the first flight to Brisbane in a statement posted on its website.
Along with the start date, the schedule for the four-times-weekly service has also changed slightly with departure and arrival on both legs being slightly earlier than originally proposed when the route was announced in January. The days of operation remain unchanged, however.
Below is the new schedule for the service.
| Flight No. | From | To | Departs | Arrives | Days |
| BI009 | Bandar Seri Begawan | Brisbane | 1850 | 0345+1 | Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun |
| BI010 | Brisbane | Bandar Seri Begawan | 1610 | 2130 | Mon, Wed, Thu, Sat |
As previously reported by Business Traveller Asia-Pacific, the route will be operated by the airline’s Airbus A320neo. This is a new aircraft for Royal Brunei Airways, the first having joined its fleet this time last year.
As with the airline’s older A320s, the new aircraft features two classes in total. Business class comprises 12 seats laid out in a 2-2 formation and each offering a pitch (legroom) of 42 inches, a width of 22.7 inches and a 10-inch recline. Seats also have in-seat power and 10.4-inch personal screens.
However, unlike the older A320s, the A320neos also feature 18 preferred seats located from rows 21 to 23, which offer additional legroom (32 inches) compared to the economy cabin (30 inches).
Royal Brunei has been launching a number of new routes to destinations around Asia-Pacific in recent months. The carrier returned to Taipei in December last year, returned to Tokyo in March this year and launched flights to Changsha in China last month.