This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 3, 2025 - November 9, 2025
MEGAT Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin, the former chief aviation and strategy officer at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), is set to replace Bruno Navet as CEO of Sarawak’s soon-to-launch regional airline AirBorneo Holdings Sdn Bhd in January 2026, according to sources.
Navet’s LinkedIn post shows that he previously served as country president and managing director of Airbus Group (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd from 2005 to 2015 and subsequently as head of corporate restructuring for Asia-Pacific in 2019. More recently, he was reportedly an aviation consultant at Hornbill Skyways Sdn Bhd, a Sarawak state-owned charter carrier.
As part of a post-privatisation restructuring of MAHB by Gateway Development Alliance Sdn Bhd (GDA) in February, Megat Ardian and several senior executives — including Gordon Andrew Stewart, chief operations officer (COO) of Malaysia Airports (Sepang) Sdn Bhd — were reassigned to report directly to Bryan John Thompson, who was appointed to the newly created role of chief airports officer effective May 9.
Sources say both Megat Ardian and Stewart recently tendered their resignations, although Stewart’s next move remains unclear.
When contacted by The Edge, a MAHB spokesman confirmed their departures, saying they are leaving “to pursue new career opportunities”.
In March 2021, Megat Ardian had held the role of senior general manager of strategy. He has also served as GM of corporate planning and transformation at MAHB. His aviation experience includes senior positions at AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines. He later joined Riyadh-based low-cost carrier Flynas as its chief commercial officer. He had also previously served as chief marketing officer at the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council under the Ministry of Health.
In October 2023, Stewart served as MAHB’s COO of airport operations before assuming the role of COO at Malaysia Airports (Sepang). His other stints include those at Edinburgh Airport, Bahrain Airport Co, Maldives Airports Co Ltd and, most recently, daa International, a global airport management and investment group.
MAHB was taken private in February by the GDA consortium at RM12.3 billion or RM11 per share. Sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund now jointly hold a 70% stake, with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and New York-based Global Infrastructure Partners LLC owning the remaining 30%.
AirBorneo is a new, state-owned airline established by the Sarawak government in February 2025, which is in the process of acquiring turboprop operator MASwings Sdn Bhd from parent company Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd, controlled by Khazanah Nasional. Sarawak aims for the airline to begin operations by end-March 2026, focusing initially on rural routes under the Rural Air Services (RAS) and destinations within a four- to five-hour radius in Sabah and Sarawak, with potential future expansion.
The airline is planning strategic partnerships and code-sharing agreements with international carriers, including Malaysia Airlines, to expand its network and improve global connectivity for Sarawak. Sarawak reportedly intends for AirBorneo to eventually operate flights to Germany, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand. It is also pushing plans for a new international airport in Kuching.
In May, Sarawak Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin said all 300-plus MASwings staff would be retained post-acquisition to ensure service continuity. He also assured that RAS schedules, frequencies and routes would remain unchanged during the transition.
MASwings currently serves 22 destinations, including Brunei, with bases in Kota Kinabalu and Miri. Its fleet comprises eight ATR 72-500s and six DHC-6-400 Twin Otters.
AirBorneo plans to replace the ATR 72-500s with newer ATR 72-600s and jets as current leases expire in two years, Lee added.
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