Royal Brunei Airlines is adding another 'preighter' to its fleet as it removed the seats from one of its A320NEO aircraft to meet growing cargo demand.

In a statement, it said the re-configured aircraft began flying on June 21 and will initially operate five times weekly across the Southeast Asia region.

"We're delighted to launch this new service to the cargo community to further support the strong regional demand and of course continue our role of transporting essential supplies and services into and from Brunei," said RB chief executive Khalidkhan Hj Asmakhan.

He added that the cargo operation has performed strongly over the last 12 months and this A320NEO conversion will allow the carrier to further build on its capability, network and the "strategic location" of Brunei in the region to maximise the opportunity.

"We’re first and foremost a guest focused airline with award winning Bruneian hospitality, but diversifying operations strategically is an important area of focus as we build back stronger following the pandemic," he added.