By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Nov 13: Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Snowdan Lawan assured Hong Kong superstar Simon Yam that direct international flights to Sarawak will soon become a reality with the launch of Air Borneo next year.
Speaking at the ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards (AIFFA) 2025 opening ceremony here tonight, Snowdan said the new airline is expected to begin operations in January 2026.
“Don’t worry, Simon. We’ll soon have direct flights from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and all the Asian areas — anything within six to seven hours, or probably from Dubai.
“We want to see more people coming in by next year without having to transit somewhere else,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd.
The veteran actor Simon Yam is currently in Kuching to attend AIFFA 2025, leading a star-studded line-up of regional film personalities.
This is not Yam’s first time in Sarawak, as he had visited the State decades ago when he travelled to longhouses and experienced riding a longboat.
Snowdan light-heartedly recalled the memory during his speech, noting Yam’s earlier adventure and teasing him to relive the experience.
“That’s very good, Simon. I hope that you can try the longboat again.
“However, maybe it’s a different kind of boat nowadays compared to when you were here 30 years ago, because a lot has changed since then,” Snowdan added.
On AIFFA, Snowdan described the festival as the brainchild of Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, who was then the Tourism Minister, and said it has grown into one of the Ministry’s signature events, bringing together filmmakers, producers and actors from across ASEAN.
He further suggested to AIFFA 2025 festival director Livan Tajang the possibility of introducing filmmaker retreats to complement existing AIFFA activities such as workshops and masterclasses.
“Who knows, Livan, maybe apart from the workshops and classes, you could organise some kind of retreat in the future for all the filmmakers and actors here.
“That could serve as an additional activity to complement the AIFFA programmes,” he asserted. – DayakDaily
