Commercial air transport in Brunei Darussalam began in 1953, with the establishment of air service links connecting Brunei Town (present-day Bandar Seri Begawan and capital city of Brunei) with Anduki (near the oil town of Seria) in the Belait District. Initial flights linking Brunei to British Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, Singapore, and overseas destinations were primarily provided by Borneo Airways and Malayan Airways. Airport services were operated from the Berakas area at an old runway site built by the Japanese during World War II. It was known then as Brunei Airport. The growth in popularity of air travel in the 1970s resulted in a significant increase in civil aviation. Suddenly, the old airport at Berakas was swamped with activity, operating beyond its capacity. This situation prompted the government to scout for a new site to build a modern international airport. The construction of a new airport began in 1970 (1970), in Mukim Berakas in the Brunei-Muara District, because this location was easily accessible from all areas of the country. The airport became operational in 1974, and its runway was one of the longest runways in the Far East. In tandem with these developments, Royal Brunei Airlines, initially known as Royal Brunei, took flight on 14 May 1975 (1975-05-14), utilising the newly constructed Brunei International Airport as its hub. Founded on 18 November 1974, the airline marked its inception as a significant milestone in the burgeoning era of Brunei's aviation history. In 2008, it was announced that a study to review necessary expansions and modifications was completed, and a masterplan was written up soon after. The masterplan consisted of different phases, and Phase 1, which included upgrading the existing air-conditioned passenger terminal building and the cargo terminal, was targeted to be completed by end of 2013. Phase 1A was already completed on 1 October 2013, with the opening of the new arrival hall. The capacity of the airport was to be increased to three million passengers by end of 2014. After Phase 1 was completed, Phase 2 was planned be initiated in 2022; this included the construction of a new terminal, which will be able to accommodate up to eight million passengers. Currently, the runway is being upgraded to allow bigger aircraft such as Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 to operate more easily.