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Bario Airport (BBN)
Departures from Bario Airport (BBN) at a glance
- 7flights a day19th busiest of 30 airports
- 5routes from here
- 1airline
- 10:30 – 14:20first and last
Collected 28 September 2026. Not live — check with the airline before booking.
Bario Airport (BBN) is the airstrip for Bario, the main settlement of the Kelabit people, on a plateau in the Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak at around 1,050 metres (about 3,500 feet), close to the border with Kalimantan in Indonesia. AirBorneo flies the Twin Otter here, a 19-seat aircraft. Weight limits on the short runway were reported in 2022, and again in June 2026, to hold it to about nine passengers on this strip.
Direct Flights Recorded from Bario Airport
Direct domestic flights recorded from Bario go to:
| Destination | Airport | Airline recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Miri | Miri Airport (MYY) | AirBorneo |
| Marudi | Marudi Airport (MUR) | AirBorneo |
| Ba'kelalan | Ba'kelalan Airport (BKM) | AirBorneo |
| Long Lellang | Long Lellang Airport (LGL) | AirBorneo |
| Long Banga | Long Banga Airport (LBP) | AirBorneo |
MASwings, the former operator, handed all of its services to AirBorneo on 1 January 2026.
The Bario Runway Extension, as Reported in 2026
A Sarawak state government project to lengthen Bario's runway to 930 metres was reported in June 2026 as 65% complete and due to finish in October 2026. The works also cover resurfacing the existing runway, extra aircraft parking bays, upgraded perimeter fencing and better public parking. Reports differ on the length of the runway before the works, giving 665 metres or 670 metres.
The stated aim is to let the Twin Otter carry up to 19 passengers from Bario, against about nine under the weight limits of the shorter runway, as reported in June 2026. As reported in June 2026, runway work is scheduled in a short window after the day's last flight has left, so flights continue during construction. Until the longer runway is in use, expect those limits to keep loads below the aircraft's 19 seats, and check with AirBorneo before counting on the extra capacity.
An earlier stage of the upgrade was reported on 1 March 2022, when a Sarawak assemblyman said a delegation from the Ministry of Transport, Malaysia Airports and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia would assess upgrading the runway.
The Kelabit Highlands Around Bario
Bario is the main settlement of the Kelabit, one of the smallest indigenous groups in Sarawak, and its name is said to come from the Kelabit word for wind. Sarawak's tourism site puts the Kelabit population in Sarawak at roughly 6,000, with about 1,200 still living in Bario and the wider highlands, as most younger people have moved to towns.
The same site lists walks through the paddy fields (with the chance to join the harvest in season), visits to pineapple plantations and Kelabit longhouses, and a hike up Prayer Mountain for views over the highlands. It counts around 21 homestays in the area. Pesta Nukenen, a food and cultural festival celebrating the traditional farming and heritage of Bario, is held in July.
Pa Umor, a Kelabit village about an hour's walk from Bario, has a natural salt spring. It let highlanders make their own salt instead of travelling to the coast for it.
Pulong Tau National Park and Mount Murud
Pulong Tau National Park covers highland rainforest in the Kelabit Highlands, across Miri and Limbang Divisions, and includes Mount Murud, the highest peak in Sarawak. Its name means "our forest" in Kelabit and Lun Bawang, and the Sarawak Forestry Corporation manages it. Sarawak's tourism site gives the way in as a flight to Bario and then a trek with a guide, and lists the park's hours as 8am to 5pm daily.
AirBorneo's Twin Otter Rules for Bario Flights
The Twin Otter is the aircraft named in the 2022 and 2026 reporting on Bario's runway, and AirBorneo's conditions of carriage set these rules for it:
- Check-in is at the airport counter; online check-in is not offered for Twin Otter flights.
- The free checked baggage allowance is 10 kg.
- Cabin baggage is one piece of up to 7 kg, within 29 x 33 x 36 cm.
- Unaccompanied minors are not accepted on the Twin Otter.
- Passengers must be at the boarding gate at least 30 minutes before departure.
AirBorneo says check-in deadlines vary by airport, so confirm the deadline for Bario when you book. If you are bringing trekking kit, weigh your bag against the 10 kg allowance before you fly.
Entering Sarawak as a Malaysian from Peninsular Malaysia
Malaysians travelling from Peninsular Malaysia need a pass to enter Sarawak, under Section 66 of the Immigration Act 1959/63. For a stay of up to three months, the Immigration Department issues a free, single-journey Document in Lieu of Internal Travel Document at the immigration counters in Sarawak airport arrival halls, on an identity card (or a birth certificate for a child under 12). It gives a social or business visit pass of up to three months.
A Malaysian from Peninsular Malaysia staying more than three months needs a Restricted Travel Document, valid for five years. Bario is not among the offices the Immigration Department lists as issuing it; Miri is. To leave Sarawak on a domestic flight, carry an identity document, a valid pass and your boarding pass.
Weather and Cancellations on AirBorneo Flights
AirBorneo's conditions of carriage count adverse weather among the causes of delay or cancellation outside its control. In those cases the airline has no immediate obligation to carry, re-route or refund you, though it says it will make reasonable efforts to assist. On 1 September 2026 AirBorneo cancelled two flights in Sarawak during haze, even though runway visibility at the departure airport stayed above its minimum, so leave slack in any onward plans from a Bario flight.