The announcement of a new Brunei-based airline on September 15 at the 20th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) wasn’t just the talk of the town back in the Sultanate, but also marked a significant milestone for China’s aviation industry.
GallopAir’s US$2 billion order for 30 aircraft from the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) crossed off many firsts for the Chinese state-owned aerospace manufacturer. It’s their biggest international order and marks the first overseas purchase of their highly publicised narrow-body C919 jet.
From becoming Brunei’s second airline, positioning the Sultanate as a regional travel hub, to the potential establishment of COMAC’s Southeast Asian operations in Brunei, there’s much at stake if GallopAir can successfully execute its ambitious plan to commence operations as a low-cost carrier (LCC) in the third quarter of 2024.
However, the backstory behind GallopAir, owned by Chinese businessman Yang Qiang, remains relatively unknown.
In an exclusive interview, we sat down with their CEO, Cham Chi, to delve into why they chose Brunei, the status of their Air Operator Certificate (AOC) approval, and their seven-year operational plan to connect the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) with China.