Hornbill Skyways
Encyclopedia
Hornbill Skyways is a regional charter helicopter service operating in towns and rural areas in Sarawak
, Malaysia. The Sarawak state government owns most of Hornbill Skyways.
It was established in May 1977 as a private company operating one fixed-wing Cessna 421
and two Bell 206B Jet Ranger helicopters. Its business idea
was to provide air services to rural areas in Sarawak, as an alternative to river transportation at that time. In 1985, Hornbill Skyways was taken over by the Sarawak state government through share acquisition by Yayasan Sarawak (Sarawak Foundation) and Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC).
They also have a maintenance hangar in Miri Airport
, besides than Main hangar in Kuching International Airport
.
Hornbill Skyways also owns four fixed-wing aircraft on their fleet:
Former aircraft(s)
Both of them are used for exclusive use of Sarawak top state government officials. From 2003 until 2008, Hornbill Skyways operated and maintained Dornier 228 owned by Sarawak Timber Industry and Development Corporation (STIDC).
In 2003 Hornbill Skyways took over Vision Air Malaysia together with 2 Dornier 228 after Vision Air Malaysia ceased operation. However Hornbill Skyways ceased operating the 2 Dornier 228 in 2008 when both aircraft were sold to other airline company in Nepal
.
There are several concerns about the company,which was mentioned in the report,which are:
“The top management of Hornbill knew nothing about aviation at all” one has confided.
Another has confirmed “The culture was one of putting deference towards politicians before safety”
During an inspection of the aircraft at Singapore,the engineers had discovered that one of the fan blades was bent,thus causing the engines to malfunction and could cause the plane to fall out of the sky.
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
, Malaysia. The Sarawak state government owns most of Hornbill Skyways.
It was established in May 1977 as a private company operating one fixed-wing Cessna 421
Cessna 421
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Taylor, John W.R. . Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976-77. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1976. ISBN 0-354-00538-3....
and two Bell 206B Jet Ranger helicopters. Its business idea
Business idea
A business idea is a concept which can be used for commercial purposes.It typically centers around a commodity or service that can be sold for money, according to a unique model.There are several methods for developing and testing a business idea...
was to provide air services to rural areas in Sarawak, as an alternative to river transportation at that time. In 1985, Hornbill Skyways was taken over by the Sarawak state government through share acquisition by Yayasan Sarawak (Sarawak Foundation) and Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC).
They also have a maintenance hangar in Miri Airport
Miri Airport
Miri International Airport is an airport serving Miri, a city in the state of Sarawak in East Malaysia.Miri International Airport is the busiest domestic airport in the country, serving 1.5 million passengers in 2008. It is also one of the country's top three airports in terms of aircraft...
, besides than Main hangar in Kuching International Airport
Kuching International Airport
"RAF Kuching/RMAF Kuching" & "Kuching Airbase/Airfield" redirects here.Kuching International Airport is an international airport serving the entire southwestern region of Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located 11 km south of Kuching city centre. The airport also shares its runway with the RMAF...
.
Fleet
Their current fleet consists of the following helicopters:- 3 Bell 206L LongRanger IV
- 2 Bell 206B JetRanger
- 5 Eurocopter EC135 P2Eurocopter EC 135The Eurocopter EC135 is a twin-engine civil helicopter produced by Eurocopter, widely used amongst police and ambulance services and for executive transport. It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules .-Development:...
- 1 Bell 430Bell 430-External links:*...
(Operated for state executive flight)
Hornbill Skyways also owns four fixed-wing aircraft on their fleet:
- 1 Bombardier Challenger CL-605Bombardier Challenger 600The Bombardier Challenger 600 series is a family of business jets designed by Bill Lear and produced first by Canadair until that company was bought by Bombardier Aerospace in 1986.-Development:...
- 1 Cessna Citation XCessna Citation XThe Cessna Citation X is a long-range medium business jet aircraft. The Citation X is powered by two Rolls-Royce turbofan engines and is built by the Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas. It is the fastest production civilian jet in the world. The Citation brand of business jets encompasses...
- 2 Beechcraft Super King AirBeechcraft Super King AirThe Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation . The King Air line comprises a number of model series that fall into two families: the Model 90 series, Model 100 series , Model 200 series and Model 300 series...
Former aircraft(s)
- British Aerospace BAe 125British Aerospace BAe 125The British Aerospace 125 is a twin-engined mid-size corporate jet, with newer variants now marketed as the Hawker 800. It was known as the Hawker Siddeley HS.125 until 1977...
- Cessna 421Cessna 421-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Taylor, John W.R. . Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976-77. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1976. ISBN 0-354-00538-3....
- Cessna Citation II
- Dornier 228
Both of them are used for exclusive use of Sarawak top state government officials. From 2003 until 2008, Hornbill Skyways operated and maintained Dornier 228 owned by Sarawak Timber Industry and Development Corporation (STIDC).
In 2003 Hornbill Skyways took over Vision Air Malaysia together with 2 Dornier 228 after Vision Air Malaysia ceased operation. However Hornbill Skyways ceased operating the 2 Dornier 228 in 2008 when both aircraft were sold to other airline company in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
Incidents
- 30 July 1993 - A Shorts Skyvan crashed in the jungle 13 km from Miri.
- Three Hornbill Skyways helicopter crashes occurred in July 2004, September 2004 and July 2005 resulting in the death of 14 people, including some VIPs and Sarawak State Minister.
Controversies
In a online exposure published by Sarawak Report titled "Arrogant Chief Minister diced with death!",Hornbill Skyways former corporate jet,the BAe 125 was deemed unsafe by the engineers and pilots.However,the warning was went unheard and instead of putting an qualified expert in aviation,the state government appointed their cronies to be in charge of the aircraft.There are several concerns about the company,which was mentioned in the report,which are:
“The top management of Hornbill knew nothing about aviation at all” one has confided.
Another has confirmed “The culture was one of putting deference towards politicians before safety”
During an inspection of the aircraft at Singapore,the engineers had discovered that one of the fan blades was bent,thus causing the engines to malfunction and could cause the plane to fall out of the sky.