A major travel company has said it will no longer offer flights from the Brunei owned airline.
STA Travel has said it is to stop offering its customers flights from the Brunei-backed airline, Royal Brunei Airlines. The move to boycott the airline has come on the back of the decision of the nation’s government to use the death penalty to punish sex between gay and bisexual men.
From last week gay and bisexual men who are caught having sexual relations will be stoned to death in a brutal shake-up of the nation’s laws. The new punishment which has its basis in sharia law also allows for stoning for those caught committing adultery and apostasy.
The travel company has also offered refunds for anyone who has already bought tickets to travel on the Airline.
The airline, which is a small player in terms of airline size enjoys codeshares with 10 other airlines including KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Thai Airlines.
In a statement to THEGAYUK, STA travel said,
“We’re proud of our open and diverse culture and we expect our partners to demonstrate the same. We do not support in any way the laws being introduced in Brunei (including on Brunei-registered aircraft and vessels). Because of this, we have stopped selling Royal Brunei Airlines flights.
“Anybody who bought Royal Brunei Airlines tickets through STA Travel and who no longer wants to use them can claim a refund, and we will help those customers to make alternative travel arrangements.
“We’ve taken this stance to add our voice to the calls on Brunei to reverse this change in the law and in support of LGBTQI people everywhere.