LONDON: AirAsia X, the low-cost, long-haul affiliate of Malaysia-based AirAsia, has announced £99 flights (AUD $261 + taxes) from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Bookings have opened this week for the five times weekly direct flights which begin in March 2009 between London's Stansted and Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal. At just £99 each way, the route will make travel between Asia and Europe more accessible and affordable than ever. Air travel from London to Malaysia typically costs in the region of £500-£600 (approx AUD $1170 to $1400).
The KL-London route is a major step in AirAsia’s realising its international aspirations, and strengthens Kuala Lumpur as the regional aviation hub and gateway into the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region.
AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said, “AirAsia X’s London-Kuala Lumpur route is the realisation of a long-held ambition to open up affordable access between Malaysia and Europe for both ASEAN and European communities. We have an incredible route network and at £99 (AUD $261), the opportunity for Australians to venture to London and Europe via the ASEAN region has never been greater.
“Being a truly ASEAN airline, we are committed to promoting tourism and travel throughout and beyond that region. This new route will benefit everyone, enabling magnificent holidays in beautiful locations, encouraging economic and tourism activity, bringing in revenue and creating job opportunities.
“AirAsia X and AirAsia boast a brand new modern fleet of Airbus aircraft fitted with leather seats and spacious cabins, diverse selections of hot meals and high quality service plus fun and friendly cabin crew. On top of that, our On Time Guarantee and the recent ‘No Fuel Surcharge’ initiative will further improve the AirAsia experience.
“As time passes, there will be more promotions and the fare could fall further – we always look to make the fare as low as possible,” he added.
The new route will be serviced by an Airbus A340 aircraft with a 286 passenger capacity including 30 premium XL seats.
To date, AirAsia X flies from Kuala Lumpur to the Gold Coast (four weekly return flights), Perth (six weekly return flights) and Melbourne (four weekly return flights) in Australia, Hangzhou (Shanghai) in China and now London, bringing the well known brand on to a global stage.
AirAsia X covers destinations which are more than four hours in flight duration from Kuala Lumpur, complementing the existing AirAsia network of over 100 destinations throughout ASEAN, China and India. Via AirAsia’s major hubs in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, passengers can enjoy unparalleled access to destinations throughout Asia, including Phuket, Borneo, Bali, Angkor Wat, and Ho Chi Minh City.
AirAsia X Chief Executive Officer, Azran Osman-Rani said, “The London route is a significant achievement for us, allowing those who have always wanted to travel between Europe, ASEAN and Australia to achieve their dream, at an affordable price. We are looking to expand from five flights per week to a daily service in the near future.
“By utilising our low cost fares in our promotion from Australia to Kuala Lumpur you’re able to then travel to London from around $450-$565 total cost depending on your departure point, which is unheard of for one-way travel between Australia and London.
“We have always been enthusiastic to venture into Europe since we launched. The establishment of this route is a significant achievement for us and is a reflection of our commitment to expanding international operations. Like Kuala Lumpur’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) - the gateway of ASEAN - London’s Stansted has true potential to be the gateway of Europe,” Mr Osman-Rani said.
In conjunction with the launch of the London route AirAsia X is offering fares from Perth to KL from $192, Melbourne to KL from $302 and Gold Coast to KL from $291.
In just over a year AirAsia X has flown more than 400,000 passengers. Supported by the wide route network of AirAsia, it has brought new definition to low cost long-haul travel.
AirAsia X, whose shareholders include the Virgin group, has won a string of industry awards including New Airline of The Year 2008 by the Centre for Pacific Aviation (CAPA), Best Budget Airline in Asia in the recent SmartTravelAsia.com ‘2008 Best in Travel Poll’, and Best Newcomer at the 2008 Budgie World Low Cost Airline Awards.
FLIGHT SCHEDULE FOR KUALA LUMPUR - LONDON – KUALA LUMPUR
Winter schedule
Flights From Departure/ Arrival Flight No. Frequency
Kuala Lumpur – London 01:50 / 07:50 D7 2002 Tuesday
10:00 / 16:00 D7 2006 Wednesday, Saturday
16:30 / 22:30 D7 2008 Thursday, Sunday
Stansted – Kuala Lumpur 09:20 / 06:20 D7 2003 Tuesday
17:30 / 14:30 D7 2007 Wednesday, Saturday
00:00 / 21:00 D7 2009 Monday, Friday
Summer schedule
Flights From Departure/ Arrival Flight No. Frequency
Kuala Lumpur - Stansted 01:00 / 08:00 D7 2002 Tuesday
09:45 / 16:45 D7 2006 Wednesday, Saturday
16:00 / 23:00 D7 2008 Thursday, Sunday
Stansted - Kuala Lumpur 09:30 / 05:30 D7 2003 Tuesday
18:15 / 14:15 D7 2007 Wednesday, Saturday
00:30 / 20:30 D7 2009 Monday, Friday
1 comment:
Air Asia has evolved from budget short-haul carrier Air Asia and its subsidiary Fly Asian Xpress. Air Asia Bhd is listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange and has satellite operations in Thailand and Indonesia, carrying around 20 million passengers annually.
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Tanyaa
Advisor
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