Malaysia’s low cost airline, AirAsia, will start direct flights from Penang to Chennai by October.
AirAsia chief executive officer Tony Fernandes said Malaysia’s Transport Ministry had approved the plan, and currently the airline is ironing out the details.
“We hope to have a daily flight there. It will take us three to four months to finalise the details,” he said after a ceremony to mark the inaugural of Singapore to Penang direct flight at the Penang International Airport (PIA) yesterday.
AirAsia now flies to Bangladesh. Daily flights to Dhaka (DAC) began this week from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) using an A320. Other carriers on this route are Biman Bangladesh, GMG Airlines and Malaysia Airlines who provide daily, or almost-daily, services.
Air Asia launched it s Low cost long haul operations from Kuala Lumpur To London Stanstead last week. The Aircraft is a Ex- Air Canada A 340. Initial publicity suggested fares in Asia of RM499 and in the UK of £99 one way on the airline. However, checking the website now, prices have risen considerably, with a return fare from London Stansted in June costing £645 return. Additional charges are levied for all checked baggage (£4 [up to 15kg]; £12 up to 20kg and £22 [up to 25kg] each way), as well as amenity bags and in-flight entertainment. The A340-300 aircraft will be configured with 256 economy seats (with a seat pitch of 32 inches) and 30 “XL” seats (60-inch pitch)
As per AirAsia timetable on the airlines’ website, the largest LCC in Asia will triple the number of flights it operates on the Kuala Lumpur – Singapore route from 01DEC08.
It will offer up to 6 daily flights
AK121 KUL0730 – 0820SIN
AK123 KUL1000 – 1055SIN
AK129 KUL1245 – 1335SIN
AK125 KUL1500 – 1550SIN
AK131 KUL1700 – 1750SIN
AK127 KUL1950 – 2050SIN
AK122 SIN0855 – 0945KUL
AK124 SIN1130 – 1225KUL
AK130 SIN1405 – 1455KUL
AK126 SIN1615 – 1705KUL
AK132 SIN1820 – 1910KUL
AK128 SIN2140 – 2240KUL
BUDGET carrier AirAsia said on Tuesday it would launch daily flights between Bangkok and Hong Kong from October as it continues to expand its network despite high oil prices.
The airline said it was also adding a second daily flight on its Kuala Lumpur-Hong Kong service due to strong demand.
‘AirAsia has continued to buck industry trends with its rapid expansion plans,’ it said in a statement.
‘The Hong Kong-Bangkok route will provide increased access to Thailand for the huge tourism market in Greater China.’
As part of the launch, the airline said it was offering 5,000 free seats, although passengers must pay for administrative fees and fuel surcharges.
AirAsia has been bullish despite global economic jitters, but its balance sheet was hit in the three months to June, with net profits falling 95 percent due to high fuel costs and foreign exchange losses.
However, the airline’s founder Tony Fernandes said in August that AirAsia was also benefitting from the economic slowdown as more travellers switched from full-service carriers to budget airlines.
Cut-price airline AirAsia X has announced it is to begin new Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur flights.
The Malaysian-based carrier will offer one-way fares to Kuala Lumpur – starting at $199 including taxes and charges – and four return flights a week from November 12.
The airline plans to increase to daily return flights during the peak season from December to mid-January and then daily from March 2009.
AirAsia will operate to Guilin, its seventh destination in China, from September. The three-times weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur will make the LCC the only airline from Malaysia to offer direct services between the two cities.
Guilin, situated in the northeast of the Guangxi Region, is one of China’s most popular tourist destinations, welcoming over 13 million foreign visitors in 2007.
SocialVibe