New airline to fly across BARMM

COTABATO CITY — Bangsamoro Airways, a pioneering airline based in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), will begin flying across the region on April 24, 2024.

Bangsamoro Airways, operated by Federal Airways Incorporated, aims to connect mainland BARMM to its island provinces to make the provision of significant services accessible, strengthen bureaucracy and logistics, and bolster the region’s economy, tourism, and employment, among others.

In an interview with Bangsamoro Board of Investments (BBOI) Chairperson Mohammad Pasigan on Tuesday, April 16, the Airways will initially fly to Zamboanga City and Sulu Province and cater to six and ten passengers, respectively, including the aviators.

It is expected to extend its services to the municipalities of Sibutu and Mapun in Tawi-Tawi after three months of operation and to Kuta Kinabalu, Malaysia, one year later.

Pasigan stressed that the opening of the Airline will bring more investors to the autonomous region, resulting in continuous growth in investments.

According to BBOI’s report, the BARMM recorded a total of P3.7 billion of investments, already surpassing the office’s 2024 target of P2.6 billion, in this current fiscal year as of April 2024, primarily encompassing Islamic banking, tourism, agriculture, marine, and industrial sectors, creating 1,155 job opportunities across the region.

BBOI invites investors to BARMM to foster regional and national economic development, mandated under the Bangsamoro Administrative Code, and provides for the latter’s incentives as granted in the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act, a law that reduces corporate income tax rates.

Furthermore, the Bangsamoro Airways has coordinated with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ (MOTC) Bangsamoro Airport Authority (BAA) in Cotabato City to ensure that all pertinent documents are sufficiently and essentially complied with, and they are ready to fly.

Pasigan further shared that Bangsamoro Airways can fly anytime and anywhere in nearby BARMM provinces, especially as the need arises, which promotes convenience and saves money.

He emphasized that upholding peace and order is an essential ingredient in urging more investors and bringing them into the autonomous region.

“Our greatest help as Bangsamoro citizens is to make our region peaceful and safe for our investors,” he highlighted, subsequently encouraging his fellow Bangsamoro residents to sustain a conflict-free region.

Boosting economic development in the BARMM by capitalizing on its comparative advantage and investing in transportation and communications are aligned with the third and fifth priority agenda of Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim.