Bangsamoro Airways (Cotabato) will begin revenue operations on April 24, serving a network of routes in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, located in the southwestern portion of the island of Mindanao.
According to an April 19 statement from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government, the airline will initially fly to Zamboanga and Jolo (Sulu) from Cotabato City, carrying up to ten passengers. According to Mohammad Pasigan, chairman of the Bangsamoro Board of Investments, the start-up will primarily serve as a charter service for government officials, medical workers, and investors.
The "long travel time and routes" between BARMM capital Cotabato City and the region's many islands and remote townships have prevented the effective delivery of government and health services, something Bangsamoro Airways is designed to overcome, he elaborated.
Local outlets report that a group of Filipino and Malaysian businesspeople own Bangsamoro Airways and that the holding company is known as Federal Airways Inc. As reported by the Aviation Updates Philippines portal, Bangsamoro/Federal has accessed at least two aircraft via FliteIine Aviation, a Bulacan-based flight training school that also runs an aerial taxi service. Images circulated by the BARMM government last week when announcing the launch of Bangsamoro Airways included a ten-passenger BN-2 registered as RP-C2138 (msn C445) and a six-passenger Piper (twin piston) PA-23 Aztec. Both are painted in Bangsamoro's livery.
