Brunei Air
Brunei has traditionally been one of the tougher Southeast Asian countries to access, both for the cost and availability of flights. It is generally more expensive to fly here than any other comparable distance within the region and there is only the one airport to head to - Brunei International Airport in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan.
It is served direct from London, Dubai, and some regional cities, although there are no flights from the US and services from Australia are on hold. Flying internally in Brunei is not possible as there is only one airport.
International flights
Brunei only has one real airport of use to tourists and that is Brunei International Airport in Bandar Seri Begawan. It is a small, well-equipped airport and receives daily flights from London, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Dubai with flag carrier Royal Brunei Airlines. Singapore Airlines also operates to and from Singapore and Malaysia Airlines to and from Kuala Lumpur.
Domestic flights
There are no domestic airports in Brunei. Brunei International Airport in Bandar Seri Begawan is the only facility open to tourists, although the country is small enough to make overland travel viable in any case.
Flagship carrier
Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) is the Brunei flag carrier. It is a quality airline with a complement of 14 Boeings and Airbuses and has a good reputation. It has cut back services of late due to economic issues although has daily flights from London, as well as from Dubai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Kota Kinabalu. Royal Brunei Airlines is a dry airline but you can take your own alcohol onboard.
Budget airlines
The only budget carrier to serve Brunei is the Malaysian airline AirAsia. It started flying to Bandar Seri Begawan in 2006 from Kuala Lumpur, with one-way fares being low. AirAsia also started offering services between Kota Kinabalu and Bandar Seri Begawan in 2009. The budget airline flies into Kuala Lumpur from many Southeast Asian cities.
Airports
Brunei has just one airport, which is Brunei International Airport in the capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan. It is the hub of Brunei flag carrier Royal Brunei Airlines and is small, yet has extensive facilities, including a VIP lounge. Flights come in direct from London as well as from Dubai and regional cities Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Kota Kinabalu.
Budget airlines
Budget Malaysian carrier AirAsia serves Brunei International Airport from Kuala Lumpur as well as from Kota Kinabalu. Flights began in 2006 from the Malay capital drastically reducing fares from the only other carriers to Brunei – Royal Brunei Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Malaysia Airlines.
Flights (international flights)
The only long haul flight to Brunei comes in from London and runs daily. There are also international flights with Singapore Airlines from Singapore, from Kuala Lumpur with Malaysia Airlines, as well as from Dubai. In addition, Malaysia Airlines flies in from Kota Kinabalu twice a week, while budget carrier AirAsia also offers flights from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu.
Cheap flights
The only cheap flights to Brunei are with low cost carrier AirAsia. It started flying here in July 2006, making it a much cheaper prospect than flying in with Malaysia Airlines or Royal Brunei Airlines. Flights come in from Kuala Lumpur and connections can be made with AirAsia to other Southeast Asian locations.
