GallopAir
 | |
| Founded | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Hubs | Brunei International Airport |
| Headquarters | Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei |
| Key people | Yang Qiang (Owner) Cham Chi (CEO)[1] |
GallopAir is a start-up airline in Brunei backed by Shaanxi Tianju Investment Group, a Chinese conglomerate. Businessman Yang Qiang is the founder and owner of the conglomerate.[2][3] The airline has not taken delivery of any aircraft yet.
History
[edit]The airline first made headlines in the aviation industry when they announced in September 2023 the purchase of 30 units of Comac C909 aircraft in a deal worth $2 billion.[4]
GallopAir flew a demonstration flight on 31 December 2024, from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport to Brunei International Airport, with a Comac C909 chartered from China Southern Airlines.[5]
In October 2025, Brunei's aviation regulator announced that it would permit aircraft certified in China to fly to Brunei, a necessary precondition for operating COMAC aircraft.[6][7] Previously Brunei only approved aircraft certified by US, Canadian, European or Brazilian regulators.[7]
Fleet
[edit]On 20 September 2023, GallopAir placed a US$2 billion order for 30 Comac aircraft. Once completed, this would make GallopAir the first operator of the C919 outside China.[8] The ARJ21 ordered includes three freighters, one business jet, and one medical evacuation plane.[3]
| Aircraft | In Service |
Orders | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comac C909 | – | 12 | |
| Comac C909F | – | 3 | |
| Comac C919 | – | 15 | |
| Total | – | 30 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Chuanren, Chen (21 November 2023). "Gallop Air Seeks To Collaborate With Royal Brunei Airlines". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023.
- ↑ Oh, Tessa (1 October 2025). "Chinese-backed airline GallopAir wins ownership fight for aviation consultancy over former partner". The Business Times. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
- 1 2 Wong, Aaron (3 November 2023). "Behind GallopAir's ambitious bid to position Brunei as a regional travel hub". Biz Brunei. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023.
- ↑ Aviacionline. "Paper-thin: An airline in Brunei begins operations with a borrowed plane and no AOC". Aviacionline | Aviacionline es el sitio de aviación en español más leído del mundo. Presenta noticias de aerolíneas, aviones, aeropuertos, y demás. (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-01-14.
- ↑ https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airlines-lessors/gallop-air-launches-commercial-service-c909-charter
- ↑ https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/boost-planemaker-comac-brunei-allows-china-made-jets-2025-10-23/
- 1 2 "In boost to planemaker COMAC, Brunei allows China-made jets". The Star. 24 October 2025. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
- ↑ "Brunei's Gallop Air places US$2bil order for China-made C919, ARJ21 jets". The Star Malaysia. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024.
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