Royal Brunei Airlines is the flag carrier of Brunei Darussalam. It was founded in November 1974, started operations in May 1975, and is based at Brunei International Airport (BWN), operating under IATA code BI, ICAO code RBA, radio call sign BRUNEI and air waybill prefix 672. Its cargo division, RB Cargo, works mainly through passenger belly space and handles acceptance, enquiries and tracking. Chinese shippers can move cargo to Brunei and Southeast Asia on direct points such as Beijing Daxing and Hong Kong and on the China departure points listed on the airline's website; schedules and capacity follow the carrier's confirmation on the booking date.
Royal Brunei Airlines is the flag carrier of Brunei Darussalam, established in November 1974 with government funding and starting commercial operations in May 1975 with a single Boeing 737-200. Its head office is in Bandar Seri Begawan and its main hub is Brunei International Airport (IATA BWN, ICAO WBSB). The airline's IATA two-letter code is BI, its ICAO three-letter code is RBA, its radio call sign is BRUNEI and its air waybill prefix is 672; forwarders and ground agents worldwide use these codes to identify the carrier when booking, issuing documents and tracking.
The passenger network is built around BWN and reaches major cities in Southeast Asia, East Asia, Oceania and the Middle East. Cargo is marketed through its division RB Cargo, mainly as bellyhold cargo carried in the lower and bulk holds of Boeing 787-8 widebodies and Airbus A320neo narrowbodies, with booking, acceptance, mainline transport, arrival handover and tracking. The airline has no dedicated freighter fleet; in the past it temporarily converted one A320neo passenger aircraft into a preighter for extra regional capacity.
For Chinese shippers the value of Royal Brunei Airlines lies in belly cargo between China and Brunei, Borneo and Southeast Asia. On 28 April 2025 the airline resumed Beijing Daxing (PKX) with two flights a week on BWN–PKX; Hong Kong (HKG) runs five times a week; the From China page on its website lists Haikou Meilan (HAK), Nanning Wuxu (NNG), Shanghai Pudong (PVG) and Changsha Huanghua (CSX) as China departure points, with information on Shenzhen (SZX). General cargo, e-commerce shipments and small high-value pieces from China to Brunei and nearby markets can enter BI belly space at these points and be distributed through the BWN gateway.
Brunei lies in the northwest of Borneo on the South China Sea and is a direct trading partner under the China–ASEAN Free Trade Area. Chinese exports to Brunei are mainly mechanical and electrical products, high-tech goods, textiles, building materials, consumer goods and metal products. BWN handles the great majority of Brunei's air cargo; after arrival, cargo clears customs quickly and is delivered in Bandar Seri Begawan or moved by road to the Sarawak and Sabah areas across the Malaysian border. As flag carrier, Royal Brunei Airlines has a local carrier's advantage in ground handling, customs and terminal coordination at BWN.
As flag carrier, Royal Brunei Airlines has local carrier treatment in slot allocation, terminal ground agency and customs coordination at BWN, so Chinese export cargo can use priority channels for collection and distribution after arrival. Brunei's own market is small, but the northern Borneo and East Malaysia areas reached from BWN show steady demand for Chinese machinery, building materials and consumer goods, which makes BWN a practical regional distribution point for Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuala Belait, Seria and the neighbouring Miri and Bintulu areas of Sarawak.
Cargo products are built on scheduled passenger belly space, released flight by flight according to remaining belly tonnage and weight and balance. Shippers with time-sensitive, steady volumes from China can lock belly tonnage one to two weeks ahead. RB Cargo provides cargo enquiry and tracking entry points on its website flyroyalbrunei.com, where shippers and forwarders can check status with an air waybill number beginning 672; the address is plain text and is not an external link.
Royal Brunei Airlines carries cargo from China mainly in passenger bellies and has no dedicated freighter. Cargo from China is loaded into BI belly space at direct points such as Beijing Daxing and Hong Kong, flown to the BWN hub and distributed to Brunei and the surrounding Borneo markets; booking is completed through the local agency network.
As Brunei's only flag carrier, BI has stable slots and ground handling resources at BWN, mature relationships with customs, terminals and agents, and smooth connections after Chinese export cargo arrives.
The airline's official website is flyroyalbrunei.com (plain text), with cargo enquiry and tracking under the cargo section. Its head office is in Bandar Seri Begawan and cargo sales are handled by the RB Cargo commercial team. No own cargo office is publicly listed in China; bookings and sales in China are handled through the local agency network.
Chinese exporters with belly cargo needs to Brunei and Southeast Asia can have them assessed and arranged through us (Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited, Goodhope Freight). We deal with the RB Cargo authorized agency network on capacity, schedules and rates; requirements can be submitted through our website goodhope86.com, and we complete booking, mainline tracking and arrival handover.
[Additional note: Royal Brunei Airlines has no publicly listed own cargo office in China; contact its local Chinese agent or ask us to coordinate.]
The active fleet numbers 12 aircraft: five Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner widebodies and seven Airbus A320neo narrowbodies. The 787-8 flies long-haul mainline sectors from BWN to East Asia, Oceania and the Middle East, with forward, aft and bulk lower holds suited to general cargo, heavy pieces and LD3 containers. The A320neo flies short regional sectors in Southeast Asia and China, with belly space mainly for loose cargo and small pallets. Both the resumed Beijing Daxing route and Hong Kong are flown by A320neo.
| Aircraft type | Number / role | Belly cargo characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 787-8 | 5 aircraft · widebody mainline | Lower holds take LD3 containers and loose cargo; large belly tonnage on long-haul mainline, suited to general cargo, high-value goods and temperature-controlled cargo |
| Airbus A320neo | 7 aircraft · regional mainline | Narrowbody belly space is mainly for loose cargo; serves BWN–Beijing Daxing, Hong Kong and Southeast Asian routes, the main type for belly cargo from China |
| A320neo preighter (historical) | 1 temporary conversion | One A320neo cabin was temporarily converted to add regional cargo capacity; not a regular scheduled freighter |
The fleet is 12 aircraft on published figures (5×787-8 + 7×A320neo); the number actually in service varies with maintenance and lease changes and follows the carrier's current publication.
Cargo from China moves mainly in passenger bellies, with no dedicated freighter. The resumed Beijing Daxing (PKX) sector is flown by A320neo, whose belly space takes conventional loose cargo and pallets within weight limits; Hong Kong (HKG) is also an A320neo regional schedule. The Boeing 787-8 mainly flies long-haul points from BWN such as Brisbane, Sydney, Dubai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Cargo from China for those destinations can connect at BWN to 787-8 belly space, giving a one-stop belly service from China to Oceania and the Middle East.
Royal Brunei Airlines' scheduled passenger and belly cargo points in China centre on Beijing Daxing and Hong Kong; the From China page lists Haikou Meilan, Nanning Wuxu, Shanghai Pudong and Changsha Huanghua as China departure points, with information on Shenzhen. The Beijing Daxing route resumed on 28 April 2025 with two flights a week on BWN–PKX; Hong Kong runs five times a week. The schedules below follow published 2026 timetables, in local time; schedules change with the season and the carrier's confirmation on the booking date prevails.
| Leg | Flight number | Schedule (local time) | Times (local time) | Aircraft operated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWN → PKX | BI623 | Monday / Thursday | Depart BWN 02:00, arrive Beijing Daxing 07:25 | Airbus A320neo |
| PKX → BWN | BI624 | Tuesday / Friday | Depart Beijing Daxing, arrive BWN the same day (see the official timetable for exact times) | Airbus A320neo |
| HKG ⇄ BWN | BI636 | Monday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Sunday (five a week) | Hong Kong–Brunei round trip, times as per the official timetable | Airbus A320neo |
These schedules follow published 2026 information; times are local, schedules change with the season and the carrier's confirmation on the booking date prevails. No fixed departure and arrival times are published for the BI624 return leg; see the official timetable.
North China gateway, resumed on 28 April 2025, two A320neo flights a week direct to BWN; belly space suits machinery, small high-value pieces and e-commerce cargo from North China.
Five BI636 flights a week, mature international terminal handling, suited to South China cargo tendered through Hong Kong and connecting to BWN and Southeast Asian distribution.
Listed on the From China page, the main East China gateway; cargo can connect at BWN to 787-8 long-haul belly space for Oceania and the Middle East.
Listed on the website as a China departure point, close to South China and Southeast Asia, suited to belly cargo from Hainan and nearby areas; schedules as per the official timetable.
China departure points listed on the website, serving the southwest and central regions respectively; suited to local manufacturing cargo tendered nearby, with schedules confirmed at booking.
The website lists information on Shenzhen, the core gateway for South China cargo; cargo can be tendered to BI belly space through a local Shenzhen warehouse or by road to the Hong Kong terminal.
Royal Brunei Airlines uses BWN as its only hub. Cargo from China flies direct to BWN from Beijing Daxing and Hong Kong, or connects to BWN from the China departure points listed on the website, clears customs at BWN and is distributed in Brunei; for other Southeast Asian cities it can connect at BWN to BI regional belly space or to points such as Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta. The network schematic is drawn with China points feeding the BWN hub, and node positions are indicative.
The chart is an ECharts schematic with no map tiles. Six representative China points (PKX / PVG / CSX / HKG / SZX / HAK) feed the BWN hub; points such as Nanning NNG connect in the same way and are not all labelled.
The passenger network covers major Southeast Asian cities plus long-haul points in Oceania and the Middle East, and belly cargo opens with the passenger flights. Countries and territories reachable from China through BWN include Brunei itself, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru), Singapore, Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta, and Australia (Sydney, Brisbane) and the Middle East (Dubai) through 787-8 long-haul belly space. Brunei is the direct clearance point; most others involve same-airport belly connections, and connectivity depends on the connections confirmed at booking.
Cargo exported from China to Brunei moves mainly on direct belly services with stable transit times; for onward movement to the Sarawak and Sabah areas, short road legs can follow arrival at BWN. Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia are all ASEAN members, and a certificate of origin (FORM E) can support preferential tariff treatment under the China–ASEAN framework; we flag the documents required at the booking stage.
Beijing Daxing and Hong Kong fly direct to BWN with steady weekly A320neo belly capacity, so Chinese export cargo reaches the Brunei gateway without a third-country stop.
As Brunei's flag carrier, BI has mature relationships with the BWN terminal, customs and ground agents, so clearance and distribution are efficient after arrival.
Connecting at BWN to 787-8 belly space moves Chinese cargo to Australia and the Middle East, with regional and long-haul legs under one booking.
RB Cargo provides cargo enquiry and tracking, so status can be followed online with a 672-prefix AWB number and milestones are open to the shipper.
Two flights a week from Beijing and five from Hong Kong give a clear weekly rhythm for production and stock planning, so e-commerce and small high-value shipments can move weekly.
Brunei is an ASEAN member, and FORM E supports preferential tariffs under the China–ASEAN framework, which suits bulk exports from manufacturing in South and Southwest China.
From BWN, belly connections reach Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, so one Brunei gateway covers Southeast Asia.
RB Cargo takes bookings in China through the local agency network; as a Chinese forwarder we deal directly on belly tonnage and rates.
RB Cargo has no publicly listed direct booking desk in China, so bookings from China go through the local agency network. After an exporter sends us the cargo details, we secure belly tonnage through RB Cargo's authorized agency channel and complete documentation, acceptance, mainline and arrival handover as one shipping plan.
| Step | Content |
|---|---|
| Step 1 · Quotation | The shipper gives us commodity, pieces, gross weight, volume, dimensions per piece, origin point (PKX / HKG / PVG / HAK / NNG / CSX / SZX), destination and transit requirement. |
| Step 2 · Securing space | Through the RB Cargo agency network we check remaining belly tonnage for the week's BI623 / BI624 / BI636 and regional schedules, confirm rates and schedules and then book. |
| Step 3 · Handover | Cargo arrives at the origin terminal for screening, weighing and acceptance, is loaded into A320neo or 787-8 belly space and an air waybill with prefix 672 is issued. |
| Step 4 · Mainline and connection | The flight reaches BWN, where cargo connects to 787-8 long-haul belly space or a regional flight; tracking milestones are reported to the shipper. |
| Step 5 · Arrival handover | The destination station completes clearance, collection or delivery, handles exceptions and claims, and settles documents and charges item by item. |
The shipper deals only with us; carrier, agent, terminal and customs broker are coordinated by us.
Belly tonnage is released as flights fill; in peak season book one to two weeks ahead to avoid tight space.
Air freight, fuel surcharge, war risk, ground handling and documentation fees are listed separately for checking.
Delays, damage, discrepancies and clearance holds are pursued by us under the carrier's rules, so the customer does not deal with them alone.
RB Cargo offers cargo enquiry and tracking on flyroyalbrunei.com, where shippers and forwarders can check acceptance, departure, arrival and collection with a 672-prefix air waybill number. Milestones for China-origin cargo connecting at BWN are visible at the same time, which helps with destination clearance and delivery planning.
During the pandemic Royal Brunei Airlines temporarily converted one Airbus A320neo passenger aircraft into a preighter, removing some cabin seats to add belly and cabin cargo space for emergency regional capacity in Southeast Asia. The conversion was temporary and is not regular scheduled freighter capacity; routine cargo from China still moves in passenger bellies.
The Beijing Daxing (PKX) route resumed on 28 April 2025 with two A320neo flights a week on BWN–PKX. For the first time it gives North China cargo a direct belly channel to Brunei, so machinery, small high-value pieces and e-commerce cargo from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region can ship locally instead of routing through South China or Hong Kong.
BI belly space takes general cargo, small high-value pieces, e-commerce shipments, textiles and garments, machinery parts and consumer goods. Dangerous goods such as battery-powered items and chemicals are declared shipment by shipment under the IATA dangerous goods rules; temperature-controlled and out-of-gauge cargo is checked at booking against A320neo and 787-8 belly door dimensions and floor load limits. Acceptance standards follow RB Cargo's current regulations.
It has no dedicated freighter fleet. Cargo from China moves mainly in the belly holds of Boeing 787-8 and Airbus A320neo passenger aircraft; one A320neo was once temporarily converted to a preighter for emergency regional cargo and is not a regular scheduled freighter.
Yes. Beijing Daxing PKX flies direct to BWN twice a week (BI623/BI624) and Hong Kong HKG flies direct to BWN five times a week (BI636), both with A320neo belly capacity; the Beijing route resumed on 28 April 2025.
BI623 departs BWN at 02:00 on Monday and Thursday and arrives Beijing Daxing at 07:25; BI624 returns on Tuesday and Friday. Times are local, schedules change with the season and the carrier's confirmation on the booking date prevails.
BI636 operates Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, five Hong Kong–Brunei round trips a week; exact departure and arrival times are as per the official timetable.
The From China page lists Haikou Meilan HAK, Nanning Wuxu NNG, Shanghai Pudong PVG and Changsha Huanghua CSX, with information on Shenzhen SZX. Schedules and capacity at these points follow the carrier's confirmation on the booking date.
The direct belly sector flies about 4–6 hours; with origin acceptance and BWN clearance, airport to airport is usually 2–4 working days. Door to door with inland pickup and delivery is about 5–8 days, and peak season or customs inspection can extend it.
With the 672-prefix air waybill number, check acceptance, departure, arrival and collection status on the RB Cargo enquiry page; we also report milestones to the shipper.
Yes, through same-airport connection at BWN to BI regional belly space for Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia; long-haul connections use the 787-8 to Australia and the Middle East. Connectivity follows the schedules confirmed at booking.
Battery-powered products, chemicals and other dangerous goods are declared shipment by shipment under the IATA dangerous goods rules, with compliance documents provided at booking. Temperature-controlled cargo is accepted under the carrier's temperature conditions, and cold chain requirements and belly configuration are checked before shipment.
Royal Brunei's cargo arm has no publicly listed direct office in China, so bookings run through its local agency network. Shippers can send requirements through goodhope86.com, and we handle blocking space with the RB Cargo agent, documentation and tracking in one place.
General cargo needs an air waybill (672 prefix), commercial invoice, packing list and export declaration documents. Brunei import declarations follow local customs requirements; goods claiming preference need a China-ASEAN FTA certificate of origin, Form E, and restricted items also need an import permit.
Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited (Goodhope Freight) assesses belly capacity options from China to Brunei and Southeast Asia, covering booking, transit connections and cargo tracking via Beijing Daxing, Hong Kong and the Chinese points listed on the airline's website.
Visit goodhope86.com for air freight optionsDisclaimer: the content is prepared by Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited (Goodhope Freight) to describe public cargo information about Royal Brunei Airlines (IATA BI, ICAO RBA). It is compiled from public sources and is for reference only; it does not form a contract of carriage or a commitment. Schedules and times are local; actual schedules change with the season and are subject to carrier confirmation on the day of booking. Rights to Royal Brunei Airlines, RB Cargo and related names, codes and brand marks belong to their owners. The company is an independent freight forwarder with no affiliation, agency or investment relationship with the airline. Actual capacity and rates are subject to carrier confirmation on the day of booking.