Sipadan Air - All You Need To Know

Sipadan Airlines

The all-new Sipadan Air from Sabah will start operations from Semporna to Kota Kinabalu, which is slated to begin in September 2019. 

Sipadan Air is also privately owned by Equus Air Sdn. Bhd that is based in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. They are new players in the Sabah aviation industry, which aims to develop aviation tourism in Sabah. 

Sipadan Air Kota Kinabalu to Semporna Flights

These special charter flights from KK to Semporna will operate on two Twin Otter DHC-6 aircraft, which comfortably seat 12 to 15 passengers, though the aircraft can carry up to 19 passengers. 

The reason for this is the weight factor for the Twin Otter aircraft, where luggage and passengers are weighed to balance the plane. 

Since the news of the new airline in Sabah was announced in September, the company has indicated that the two inaugural flights have been fully booked with 30 Chinese tourists. 

Sipadan Air has also mentioned that the charter flights have been fully booked until the end of this year. 

This news of the new Sabah airline was also covered by the Daily Express, which is Sabah's popular English news portal. 

Equus Air
The main landing page for Sipadan Air, which is under Equus Air

Why the Name Sipadan Air? 

This can be confusing for visitors, where the first thought is that the airline will fly directly to Sipadan Island. But actually, it is just a name given to the charter airline. 

There could have been any other name, but the company decided on Sipadan Air to reflect the world-renown name of Sipadan Island. 

Another reason could be that many China tourists and other tourists have Sipadan Island on their wishlist or bucket list as one of the places to visit in the world. 

The main website is Equus Air, and it is currently not operational when writing this article, but it should be ready in the next few days or weeks. 

Pulau Sipadan 2020
Sipadan Island is seen from my dive boat during one of my many trips there.
 
Will Sipadan Air fly directly to Sipadan Island?

We all wish for that, but sorry, no. Sipadan Air will only operate flights from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna town, the gateway to Sipadan and Mabul island. 

Many people who have not been here may think that Sipadan is a large island with resorts and even an airport, but truth be told, it is a small island with only a military outpost. 

The name sounds catchy but needs to reflect the airline flying into the island like other islands around Malaysia. For example, Tioman and Pangkor Island have a small airport and runway. 

But Mabul, Sipadan and other islands around the Tun Sakaran Marin Park are very small, with no airport space. 

Sipadan Air is owned by Equus Air

Who is Sipadan Air? 

Sipadan Air is a privately owned airline by Equus Air Sdn. Bhd is a local Sabahan company based in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. 

The Chairman of Sipadan Air is Datuk Omar Ali Tun Sakaran, the son of Tun Sakaran Mohd Hashim bin Dandai, who served as the eighth Chief Minister and Governor of Sabah.

Equus Air's chief operating officer is also Capt. Adam Abdullah. The airline also owns two 19-seat de Havilland Canada Series 300 Twin Otters which will be used for the inaugural phase. 

The airline also has a tagline like this - "From Islands to Highlands"- targeted towards tourist destinations around Sabah Borneo. 

Amphibious Seaplane Sabah
The S-38 Sikorsky Seaplane is a famous amphibious aircraft.

I gather that Equus Air is also planning to introduce Sea Planes to Sabah. This may be soon. The company has also sent one of its pilots to the Maldives to do some pilot training, and in the Maldives, seaplanes are the primary mode of transport from island to island. 

Another exciting news is that the company will be interested in introducing amphibious aircraft in Sabah. 

Equus Air is currently preparing an amphibian flight module for the Department of Civil Aviation for approval to operate. 

Lapanangan Terbang Semporna
Semporna Airport, a STOL airport located just 12 minutes from the main town area

Where does Sipadan Air fly to? 

For phase one, Sipadan Air will operate from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna and vice-versa. There are plans to expand to other tourist destinations around Sabah. 

For future routes, the airline plans to operate Kota Kinabalu to Ranau flights, where driving will take around two and a half hours, but the flight will take only 20 minutes. 

There is also the Kota Kinabalu to Kudat flights, and driving up north will take you around three to three and a half hours one way. A flight will take you only 30 minutes. 

Sipadan Air Phase 2 

Phase two of the airline will see the introduction of Seaplanes or Amphibious Aircraft, which will most likely be the Sikorsky 38 or 39 models. 

These seaplanes are dual-purpose and can land in water and on land, making this perfect for many island resorts located around Sabah. 

The second phase for Sipadan Air is targeting flights and also special charters for;

  • Kota Kinabalu to resort
  • Tawau to resort
  • Semporna to resort
  • Island hopping flight
  • Scenic flight
  • Sunset dinner flight
  • Sunset round island tour

Seaplanes will also be used for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, marriages, proposals, graduation or even career promotions. 

This introduction will, of course, bring in new tourism opportunities in Sabah and help to increase tourism arrivals into Sabah and the hard to get to places. 

Air Sipadan Sabah
The Twin Otter DHC-6 aircraft that Sipadan Air will use

How to Book Sipadan Air Flights? 

Currently, the airline is only doing charter flights, and they have arrangements with selected travel agents in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. 

In the future, the airline may open up to mainstream tourists for direct booking, but there has yet to be any news about this. 

The route by road from Tawau to Semporna

What other ways to get to Sipadan Island? 

The only way to get to Sipadan Island or Semporna is via flights into Tawau City from Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, and other major cities. 

Airlines like Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia have daily direct flights to Tawau, and from there, you need to take a taxi to Semporna, which will take one hour and forty-five minutes. 

Most visitors will use this way to get to Sipadan Island or any other island around the Tun Sakaran Marine Park. 

Map of Semporna Airport in Sabah
The distance from Semporna Airport to the main public jetty in Semporna town

Where is Semporna Airport located? 

The Semporna Airport is a STOL Airport or short take-off and landing airport, which can only cater to small turbo-prob aircraft like the Twin Otter and even the ATR planes. 

The airport is along Jalan Lapangan Terbang in the Mile 2 area or Batu 2 of the Semporna main road called SA51. Another landmark is the Sabah Electricity main office in Semporna. 

The airport was last used by the Rural Air Service by Malaysia Airlines with flights connecting to Sandakan and other towns around Sabah. The last commercial flights were in 2012. 

In recent years, the airport runway was used by Borneo Paramotor for leisure activities, including classes to fly a paramotor. 

Photo of Semporna Airport STOL
What the Semporna Airport looks like in this photo taken on May 2019

Cause for Concerns

Did you know that tourism numbers in Semporna and the surrounding islands have been estimated to be between 60,000 to 80,000 visitors a month? 

While this is excellent news for Sabah Tourism, many feel that the overtourism in this part of Sabah needs to be controlled. 

However, this is a double-edged sword that needs to be looked into carefully by the tourism board and also the tourism industry.

Conclusion

The announcement of Sipadan Air flying from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna will cut travel time by a lot for tourists wanting to visit the world-famous Sipadan Island and Mabul Island. 

If you are planning to head to this part of Sabah Borneo, you may also want to know what to do on Mabul Island when you are here. 

As stated earlier in this article, the flights are only available for charter flights through some of the tour agents in Sabah. Sipadan Air will expand into a commercial budget airline in Sabah.

Malaysia Asia

Blogging since 2007, but writing online since 1997. I belong to the 1st generation of worldwide bloggers, which is of course old-school. Since 2008, I created Malaysia Asia and this travel, flood, gadget and lifestyle blog has won numerous physical awards from tourism boards around Malaysia. (Not those online awards). After 12 years of blogging, I have semi-retired and now blog about things I like, do product reviews and enjoy life. My work has been featured in Lonely Planet, CNN Travel, Yahoo Travel, Wall Street Journal, and many other international publications. Find out more about me and thank you.

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