Formed in 1974, with an initial fleet of two Boeing 737-200 aircraft, serving Singapore, Hong Kong, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuching, Royal Brunei Airlines now operates to 32 destinations in south-east Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Oceania.

Flights to the then British colony of Hong Kong, and the city of Kota Kinabalu and Kuching in East Malaysia (Malaysian Borneo) started the same day.

[7] They were also used on existing high-capacity routes to Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur; after the introduction of the 757, its smaller sibling was phased out.

This achievement, led by local pilot Captain Khalidkhan bin Haji Asmakhan, was a test of the airline's new aircraft for long-haul suitability.

In March 1993, Abu Dhabi was added to the route network, through which flights to Frankfurt and Jeddah, were re-routed instead of Dubai.

Before the end of the year, the airline was inaugurating services to Beijing (October) and Cairo (November), via Kuala Lumpur and Bahrain, respectively.

The desire to link all the major oil and gas cities on Borneo saw the addition of Balikpapan to the route network in December.

Two Dornier 228s were purchased in the same year, and leased to the Malaysian regional carrier, Hornbill Skyways, to connect Brunei by air to Mulu Airport.

The route to Zürich was suspended in September 1996, to enable Royal Brunei to commence daily services to London Heathrow.

On 6 September 1997, Royal Brunei Airlines Flight 839, a Dornier 228 owned by Royal Brunei Airlines, but operated and maintained by Malaysian regional carrier Hornbill Airways, carrying 10 passengers to Miri, crashed into high ground near Miri airport.

The remaining Dornier 228s were sold in 1997, and short-haul services connecting Brunei to Miri, Labuan, Mulu, and Bintulu were terminated.

The plan also included new services to Auckland, Ho Chi Minh City, Sydney, Seoul, and Tokyo, as well as raising frequencies on other flights.

Kuching and Kolkata were dropped on 31 October 2004 due to rising fuel prices, but at the same time, Sydney was added to the route network.

[citation needed] Royal Brunei Airlines added Ho Chi Minh City to its network list in May 2006, a destination served thrice weekly.

[citation needed] In early September 2007, Royal Brunei Airlines suspended flights to Frankfurt am Main as part of its latest restructuring exercise.

[17] Royal Brunei Airlines then suspended services to Darwin on 26 January 2008, after serving the route for 24 years.

[18] Sharjah was also dropped from the network early 2008, as Jeddah flights are served non-stop from Bandar Seri Begawan.

[21] The following year, Robert Yang was appointed as chief executive officer effective from 1 July, after the departure of Ray Sayer.

[24] Plans were also announced during the year for a four times a week Brunei to Melbourne service with the Boeing 777-200ER, starting from 29 March 2011.

[25] On 12 February 2011, Brudirect.com reported that Robert Yang had announced his resignation as the CEO of Royal Brunei Airlines, with effect from 1 March 2011.

As part of the plan, services to Auckland, Brisbane, Perth, and Ho Chi Minh City were suspended effective after the last scheduled flights of October 2012.

The airline leased two additional Airbus A320s in 2013, together with five Boeing 787s, to strengthen and revitalise its regional network, and international routes respectively.

[27] On 6 November 2013, Royal Brunei Airlines outlined plans to offer a '100% Dreamliner service' on all of its long-haul routes.

[30] Effective 17 October 2014, RB resumed flights to Ho Chi Minh City four times a week, as it looked to use the destination to connect with key regional and international markets.

On 1 November 2022, Captain Sabirin Hj Abd Hamid was appointed as the current Chief Executive Officer for Royal Brunei Airlines.

On flights to and from Brunei, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong, it is possible to pay in advance to sit in these seats via the 'Manage my booking' section of the airline's website.

This cabin is exactly the same as Royal Brunei's Airbus A320neo, but with a personal, touch screen IFE (in-flight entertainment) system with a USB charging capability, along with an in-seat power outlet in each seat.

With the expiration of Elite status benefits, the member will use their Blue card to start earning tier-qualifying miles again.