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Tag: airasia

  • Tony Fernandes steps down from all posts except Airasia, Airasia X

    Tony Fernandes steps down from all posts except Airasia, Airasia X

    AirAsia Group Bhd chief executive Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said today he is stepping down from all official board positions except AirAsia Group and AirAsia X Berhad to pave the way for new leaders to move up the company’s ranks.

    On Twitter, Fernandes he made the first decision to step down as the first step in stepping back.

    “As the first step of stepping back and moving the next generation of @airasia leaders into the forefront I will be stepping down of all boards except @airasia group and airasia X,” the tweet reads.

    AirAsia X Berhad, operating as AirAsia X, is a long-haul budget airline based in Malaysia and a sister company of AirAsia.

    Fernandes is listed as a non-independent non-executive director on the board of AirAsia X.

    Last month, Fernandes was appointed as the chief executive of airasia.com, the low-cost airline’s travel and lifestyle e-commerce platform.

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  • AirAsia reveals exclusive route from Kuala Lumpur to Da Lat

    AirAsia reveals exclusive route from Kuala Lumpur to Da Lat

    Air asia has launched an exclusive route to Da Lat from Kuala Lumpur, further expanding its footprint in Vietnam.

    The four times weekly service to Da Lat, capital of Lam Dong province in the Central Highlands, will commence on Dec 20.

    Da Lat, known as the City of Eternal Spring for its pleasant weather, was developed as a leisure town by the French in the early 1900s, and boasts some fine examples of colonial architecture, such as Da Lat Railway Station and Lycée Yersin. Da Lat is also home to three mansions owned by Emperor Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam.

    Other attractions include Xuan Huong Lake, a popular icon of Da Lat located in the city centre, and Linh Phuoc Pagoda, which is covered in colourful mosaic made from pieces of pottery and glass. For nature lovers, Robin Hill offers a panoramic view of the city and its natural surroundings, including Tuyen Lam Lake and Lang Biang Mountain, while trekking to the top of Mount Samson allows visitors to get a highland view of Da Lat.

    AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat said, “We are proud to expand our fast-growing network with the introduction of this new and unique route to Da Lat, Vietnam. As the first international airline to fly to Da Lat, visitors from Malaysia no longer need to drive three hours from Nha Trang or five hours from Ho Chi Minh City to get to this picturesque city. This new route will strengthen economic ties for the people of southern Vietnam, while enhancing connectivity into other parts of Asean and beyond.”

    To celebrate the new route, AirAsia is offering all-in members fare for Kuala Lumpur-Da Lat from as low as RM99 from now until Sept 29 for travel from Dec 20 until March 27, 2020, only on airasia.com and the AirAsia mobile app.

    Da Lat is AirAsia’s seventh destination in Vietnam after Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Can Tho and Phu Quoc.

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  • AirAsia joins hands with Workday

    AirAsia joins hands with Workday

    Two prominent outfits decide to join forces to stand out in the global market _ AirAsia has selected Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) as the partner of its digital transformation journey.

    AirAsia is a top-tier low-cost airline. The Kuala Lumpur-based company, which operates flights to more than 140 destinations spanning 22 markets, has tried to transform all of its business areas for improved efficiency and faster growth.

    As a part of its efforts, Malaysia’s biggest airline has rolled out Workday’s cloud technology for HCM to its 22,000 employees across the world. Workday is a leader in enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources.

    Workday said that its HCM enables customers to uncover workforce insights for quicker and more informed decisions in optimizing human resources and talent management operations.

    “AirAsia’s digital transformation encompasses our people and culture as much as it does our business model. In doing so, we have looked closely at each stage of our Allstars’ career to see how best to leverage technology and use data,” said Varun Bhatia, chief people and culture officer of AirAsia.

    “Workday met our criteria for an enterprise-level, integrated, and cloud-based mobile HCM platform with strong reporting and analytics. We also appreciate Workday’s active and responsive partnership, along with strong customer support.”

    Workday Asia President Rob Wells also expressed his high hopes for the collaboration.

    “We are proud to be a partner to AirAsia, one of the most people-centric airlines in the world and a company that shares our vision of digital innovation and empowering people,” Wells said.

    “We will be working closely with AirAsia in its journey to transform its employee experience and maintain its position as one of Asia’s largest and leading low-cost airlines.”

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  • AirAsia’s Latest A321neo Receives A Funky Paint Job

    AirAsia’s Latest A321neo Receives A Funky Paint Job

    Low-cost carrier AirAsia has given the world a sneak peek of an eye-catching livery for its new A321neo. The Malaysian airline is due to receive its first of the largest A320 family aircraft in the coming weeks.

    AirAsia revealed the order for the A321neo at the Paris Air Show this year. The airline announced a conversion of 253 A320neos to the larger A321neos, to make AirAsia the largest customer in the world for this type.

    In a post to the airline’s official Twitter feed, AirAsia gave us a sneak peek at their color scheme for the forthcoming A321neo. While most of us would have assumed it would take on the iconic red livery of AirAsia’s fleet, it seems they’re going for something a bit different with this aircraft. Deliveries like this, while not unheard of, are a rarity in the world of aviation. Indeed, there are some good reasons why aircraft, as a rule, are mostly painted white. However, AirAsia is not afraid to stand out from the crowd.

    In fact, many low-cost carriers are known for more colorful liveries. Easyjet aircraft are easy to spot in their bright orange coats, and WOW air’s purple planes will be missed on aprons around the world. For an LCC, branding is crucial, and AirAsia will certainly be recognizable with this plane.

    You can see the livery taking shape in the video below, shared by AirAsia on Twitter.

    Why the A321neo?

    The upscaling of the order back in June at the Paris Air Show was a major boon for Airbus. While none of them were fresh orders, all being converted from existing A320 orders, it was the biggest order for the larger variant of the narrowbody to date, and a massive vote of confidence for the type.

    The A321neo is the longest variant of the popular A320 family of aircraft. With the neo improvements onboard, which include new generation engines and fuel saving Sharklets, it’s 20% more efficient than its predecessor.

    The A321neo will be the ‘backbone’ of the AirAsia fleet. Photo: AirAsia/Twitter
     

    Clearly, a bigger aircraft that is cheaper to fly will make it possible for AirAsia to sell seats at the lowest possible price. The airline confirmed this in the post, when it said that,

    “The A321neo will be the new backbone of our operations as we continue to make flying affordable for everyone.”

    With 253 on order, AirAsia is clearly banking on the A321neo being a massive success. We can’t wait to see this colorful plane arriving at airports all over the world!

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  • Eros Now partners AirAsia’s in-flight WiFi service provider

    Eros Now partners AirAsia’s in-flight WiFi service provider

    Eros Now, the Indian over-the-top (OTT) entertainment platform, has entered into a partnership with Rokki – AirAsia’s in-flight WiFi service provider. The deal will provide flyers access to Eros Now’s content on their own devices, while onboard WiFi-enabled AirAsia flights.

    With the deal in place, AirAsia WiFi will host Eros Now’s content for free. It will also host a microsite that will enable guests to discover more of the OTT platform’s offerings and purchase discounted subscription plan vouchers on-board, offering one-month access to the OTT platform’s premium content including over 12,000 Bollywood movies, original shows, Quickies, music, and other content.

    “On-the-go consumers are always on the lookout for interesting content. Our intent has always been to deliver the best of services to meet end-users’ demands and expectations. By partnering with Rokki we plan to attract the in-flight consumers by offering Eros Now’s vast collection,” said Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO, Eros Digital.

    “In line with Rokki’s continuous efforts to transform the in-flight experience through our key offerings – entertainment, connectivity, and e-commerce – our partnership with Eros Now is another step towards creating a dynamic and engaging experience through content-driven commerce,” said Sargunan Seenivasan, head of Rokki.
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  • MavCom fines AirAsia, AirAsia X RM200,000 each

    MavCom fines AirAsia, AirAsia X RM200,000 each

    RM200,000 each for charging credit card, debit card and online banking processing fees separate from their base fares.

    MavCom said in a statement on Tuesday the fees charged by the airlines contravened the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016 (MACPC). It said MACPC came into effect on July 1,2016, and was published in line with MavCom’s aim to protect the rights and interests of consumers.

    MavCom said as the first consumer protection code specifically intended for Malaysia’s aviation industry, the MACPC ultimately provides for more transparency on aviation service providers’ obligations towards consumers and clearer guidance for consumers on their rights and interests as air travellers.

    MavCom said from June 1,2019, it had been monitoring for compliance with the new provisions of the MACPC.

    “AirAsia and AirAsia X have been found to contravene subparagraph 3(2) of the MACPC which requires full disclosure of the final price of the airfare.

    “As part of the due process to determine whether a contravention has been committed, MavCom issued show-cause letters to both airlines and afforded opportunities to the airlines to provide factors to mitigate the quantum of the penalties.

    MavCom said that Section 69(4) of the Malaysian Aviation Commission Act 2015 [Act 771] together with paragraph 22 of the MACPC empowered it to impose a financial penalty for a non-compliance of the MACPC, an amount not exceeding RM200,000 and in the case of a second or subsequent non-compliance, an amount ten times of the financial penalty which was imposed for the first non-compliance.

    “Upon thorough evaluation and taking into consideration the written representations by the airlines, the commission has imposed on AirAsia and AirAsia X a penalty of RM200,000 each for the first violation of subparagraph 3(2) of the MACPC, for the period commencing June 1,2019 to Aug 9,2019, ” it said.

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  • AirAsia India Airbus A320 Aborts Takeoff Due To Dog On The Runway

    AirAsia India Airbus A320 Aborts Takeoff Due To Dog On The Runway

    An AirAsia Airbus A320-200 aborted its take-off on Sunday (01/09/19) due to a dog appearing on the runway. The flight from Goa to Delhi was delayed by 50 minutes while the aircraft’s braking systems were checked.

    Reports Aviation Herald, Flight I5-778 was cleared to take off at around 08:25 local time. The A320 (registration VT-IXC) began rolling but its crew was instructed to abort a few seconds later. The A320 rejected the take-off at a relatively low speed and returned to the apron.

    Following normal procedure, the flight crew assessed the effect of the aborted take-off on the aircraft’s systems. After 50 minutes the plane was again cleared to take-off, and this time did so successfully.

    Flight I5-778 landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport just 30 minutes behind schedule. Writes News in Flight, a spokesman for Goa airport said,

    Goa’s Dabolim civilian airport operates within an Indian military base called INS Hansa. The airport is jointly used by civilian and military jets. With over seven million passengers passing through the terminal each year the airport’s airside aprons suffer severe congestion.

    A second airport is in the process of being built in Mopa, north of Dabolim. The Indian government intends this airport to become the main civilian hub for Goa’s burgeoning tourist trade, thereby easing congestion at GOI.

    Dabolim will continue to receive civilian passengers.

    An investment in the old airport of around Rs.4 Bn (US$60 million) is set to improve the passenger facilities by the provision of a larger terminal and more adequate parking. Whether the expansion works will also include better perimeter security is yet to be seen.

    The sight of dogs on Indian runways is all too common. In 2018, the Directorate of Civil Aviation identified at least 20 airports that were at risk of canine incursions. At all 20 of these sites, animals could enter freely through perimeter barriers.

    Passenger safety at these sites was deemed to be compromised by the number of animals accessing the operational areas.

    On August 13th, a similar incident at Goa was reported by Aviation Herald. This time an Air India Airbus aborted its landing due to the pilot’s reporting a group of dogs on the runway.

    The flight crew of the A320-200N Flight AI-33 from Mumbai to Goa performed a go-around due to the animals being on the ground, although the Tower Controller did not see the dogs. The aircraft landed safely on the second attempt.

    History: What Happened To Singapore Airlines Boeing 747’s?

    According to reports, there are an estimated 200 dogs in the vicinity of the airfield.

    In response to public concern about the safety of passengers arriving and departing at Goa, the AAI revealed their intention to be more pro-active.

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  • AirAsia X orders 42 new long-haul Airbus jets

    AirAsia X orders 42 new long-haul Airbus jets

    AirAsia X, the long-haul part of the AirAsia Group, has now finalized a major order with Airbus for 12 more A330-900 and 30 A321XLR aircraft.

    The contract was signed today by Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, chairman of AirAsia X, along with Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus, in KL, in the presence of Mahathir Mohamad, the Malaysian PM.

    Tony Fernandes, the CEO of the AirAsia Group, says the two aircraft are the perfect equipment for long-haul, low-cost operations.

    “This order reaffirms our selection of the A330neo as the most efficient choice for our future wide-body fleet. In addition, the A321XLR offers the longest flying range of any single aisle aircraft and will enable us to introduce services to new destinations.”

    Aziz says the order showed the airlines’ commitment to long haul air travel.

    “This will move our long-haul service sectors up to a higher level and allow AirAsia X to look at expanding beyond the eight-hour flight radius, such as to Europe for example.”

    The new contract increases the number of A330neo (new engine option) aircraft ordered by AirAsia X to 78, reaffirming the carrier’s status as the largest airline customer for the type. Meanwhile, the A321XLR (long range) order sees the wider AirAsia Group strengthen its position as the world’s largest airline customer for the A320 “family”, having now ordered a total of 622 aircraft.

    AirAsia X currently operates a fleet of 36 A330-300s on services to points within the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East. In addition, in August the first A330neo joined the fleet of AirAsia’s Bangkok-based long haul affiliate, AirAsia X Thailand. The aircraft is the first of two leased A330neos joining the airline’s Thai affiliate by the end of the year.

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  • AirAsia eager to introduce bio-fuel powered flight, supported by Airbus

    AirAsia eager to introduce bio-fuel powered flight, supported by Airbus

    AirAsia Group Bhd is expected to introduce a biofuel-powered flight in the future as the airline initiated research and developments (R&D) into aviation biofuels supported by Airbus SE.

    Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has expressed interest to explore the production of alternative and sustainable aviation biofuels in Malaysia.

    “However, it is too early to comment right now but obviously, we as an airline would like to do more in biofuels. We can not do it alone. So, it is great that Airbus supports our vision of trying to get biofuels into the aircraft. Hopefully that dream is not so far away with Airbus’ support,” Fernandes said after the signing ceremony between AirAsia and Airbus involving the airline’s 42 new aircraft orders in Kuala Lumpur last Friday.

    Market observers believe the move likely to cut the group’s jet fuel cost and reduce carbon emissions.

    Fernandes said aviation biofuels R&D requires a lot of work involving comprehensive studies on how the alternative fuel burns compared with the conventional kerosene jet fuels.

    He said technical support from airframe maker Airbus SE would facilitate the airline’s initiative to develop its aviation biofuels.

    Airbus had last Friday announced it would increase participation in the Aerospace Malaysia Innovation Centre (AMIC) to provide more funds for joint research programs.

    Airbus is also one of AMIC founders, which is set to appoint an Innovation Technical Director to support the non-profit organization including into aviation biofuels in Malaysia.

    This was also part of Airbus’ US$120 million (RM505 million) planned investments announced last week comprising three initiatives to further develop Malaysia’s aviation and aerospace industry.

    Under the initiatives for AMIC, Airbus said the programs benefitting from additional funding such as alternative and sustainable aviation biofuels.

    Inter’s Romelu Lukaku was allegedly subjected to racial abuse during the match against Cagliari at Sardegna Arena Stadium in Cagliari, Italy. – EPA

    Chief executive officer Gauillaume Faury said Airbus’ new initiatives also include the expansion of the company’s wholly-owned maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility – Sepang Aircraft Engineering (SAE); and the establishment of the Airbus Malaysia Digital Initiative.

    “These initiatives will significantly enhance our presence in Malaysia, which is one of our most important markets in Asia,” he said at a press conference at the signing ceremony of the firm order between AirAsia Group and Airbus here, recently.

    He said Airbus’ initiatives would also strengthen its win-win partnerships with Malaysia, contributing to the development of the Malaysian aerospace sector and enabling the company to benefit from the competencies and skills available in the country.

    Major airlines had been experimenting for years with biofuels in an effort to reduce both carbon emissions and their reliance on fossil fuels.

    According to Bloomberg, several major carriers were planning larger-scale usage of biofuel in 2019 and 2020, including JetBlue Airways Corp and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.

    Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had approved a resolution that called on governments to continue working towards the implementation of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

    Having agreed through the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), CORSIA would limit net carbon dioxide emissions from international aviation at 2020 levels to achieve carbon-neutral growth.

    The first test flight with biojet fuel was undertaken by Virgin Atlantic in 2008. As at June 2019, more than 180,000 commercial flights using sustainable aviation fuels have been performed, according to IATA.

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  • AirAsia to consider flying to Albania

    AirAsia to consider flying to Albania

    AirAsia Group Bhd chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said the airline will consider flying to Albania.

    The Southeastern Europe nation could be one of its routes in Europe, a market which the airline had hinted about re-entering.

    “Why not? AirAsia is always looking for different places and I never thought about Albania. We are going to have a look.

    “The Albanian Minister (Tourism and Environment Minister Blendi Klosi) is very positive (about bringing us to the country). So let’s see,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of the World Tourism Conference 2019 here, today.

    Fernandes, who was one of the speakers at the conference, shared his experience about transforming AirAsia from a small loss-making company into a global giant in the aviation industry.

    Klosi, who was also a speaker at the conference, expressed his welcome to AirAsia, which he said would help to promote the country’s tourism as well as those of other Balkan neighbours.

    During the conference, both of them jokingly agreed to have AirAsia fly to Albania if the country was willing to provide a free airport and promotional assistance.

    Previously, AirAsia X Bhd chairman Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz said that the airline was looking at expanding its market and had not discounted the possibility of re-entering the European market.

    Earlier this month, Fernandes said Thai AirAsia X would be flying to Europe by the end of this year or early next year.

    He said the long-haul low-cost airline was applying for approval from the relevant authorities.

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  • Five things to watch for as AirAsia reveals earnings

    Five things to watch for as AirAsia reveals earnings

    Budget airline pioneer Tony Fernandes has built AirAsia Group into a benchmark for aviation in Southeast Asia in the 17 years since he founded the company.

    No longer satisfied with just flying passengers from A to B, Fernandes wants to use the data collected from the 100 million passengers he transports each year to transform the group into the “Amazon of travel.”

    Buffeted in recent months by the global trade war, high fuel costs, increased competition and other hurdles such as a failure to crack the lucrative Vietnamese market, the company’s shares are down nearly two-thirds from the all-time high of 4.6 ringgit ($0.53) in February last year.

    As AirAsia Group reveals its financial results for the second quarter on Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur, here are five things investors will be watching.

    One of the aviation industry’s most important metrics that measures the average fare per passenger per kilometre, Maybank Investment Bank’s Mohshin Aziz, is expecting lower yields to dampen profits.

    Mohshin is forecasting a second-quarter net profit of 111 million ringgit ($13 million), that’s 65% lower than for the same period last year, but up 9% on the first quarter.

    “Load factor declined by 0.4 percentage points year-on-year to 85.1% in second-quarter 2019 on the back of 16.8% year-on-year capacity growth,” Mohshin said. ” This is a very respectable load but it likely came at the expense of lower yields, in our view.”

    Mohshin said in terms of yields, AirAsia’s published fares look relatively weak in the second quarter of 2019 when compared to the same period last year.

    In the first quarter of 2019, yield declined by 4.1% year-on-year. “We expect more of this in the reported second quarter of 2019.”

    Fuel Prices

    Rising fuel prices have hit other regional carriers such as Virgin Australia hard, with the airline reporting a loss of AU$315.4 ($212.5 million) on Wednesday for the 12 months to June 30.

    But MIDF Amanah Investment Bank’s Adam Mohamed Rahim believes AirAsia’s prudent hedging policy could help the bottom line this quarter.

    “Our positive outlook on the group stays intact on its more prudent hedging policy, stable operations with added capacity and continuous improvement to derive higher values per kilometre flown,” said Adam.

    Adam will also be watching out for any estimate from AirAsia on whether a new departure tax to levied from September 1 of 8 Ringgit per passenger for destinations within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and 20 Ringgit for non-ASEAN destinations will cause a dip will impact on passenger growth.

    Geographic Segment

    AirAsia carried 42.2 million passengers in Malaysia last year, making it one of the group’s most profitable markets, but operations in Indonesia, Thailand and elsewhere have struggled, with net income slipping 92% in the three months to the end of March from the same period a year ago.

    Second quarter earnings could tell a different story though, said Ahmad Maghfur Usman of Nomura Securities, who believes AirAsia’s short-haul operations, especially to Indonesia and Japan, will show significant improvement.

    Ahmad added that improving supply and demand dynamics were in the carrier’s favor, with lower fuel costs going forward also expected to help boost profitability.

    ‘Amazon of Travel’

    After announcing a leadership reshuffle earlier this month, Fernandes’ ambitious plans to morph AirAsia into something other than a budget carrier is starting to take shape.

    “We are now the 13th largest airline flying about 100 million passengers annually and collecting piles of data in the process,” Fernandes said in June. “It is not a huge leap to say we are becoming a digital power.”

    Any further light that Wednesday’s results can shed on exactly how Fernandes plans to expand online, and fend off established rivals such as Expedia and Booking.com, will also be keenly anticipated.

    Philippines AirAsia

    When Philippine business mogul Michael Romero revealed in June that he had upped his stake in Philippines AirAsia to 45%, as well as announcing a $350 million capital infusion, it seemed like the long-awaited initial public offering of the AirAsia Group affiliate would finally get off the ground.

    That was until last weekend when Fernandes told reporters in Bangkok that he was still in wait-and-see mode regarding the Philippine unit’s bid to go public.

    “It’s there, but with no particular rush to be honest,” Fernandes said. “We want to maximise the valuation, so you know after a very tough start our earnings are very strong, the fuel price is going down, tourism is going up.”

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  • AirAsia Good hub opens in Kuala Lumpur

    AirAsia Good hub opens in Kuala Lumpur

    AirAsia Foundation opened its first social enterprise hub, Destination: GOOD, at the weekend, marking a new milestone in its social entrepreneurship advocacy.

    Located downtown Kuala Lumpur in the former Rex Cinema premises now called REXKL, Destination: GOOD retails more than 400 responsibly and ethically produced goods sourced from over 30 social enterprises from around ASEAN.

    More than a shop, it aims to be an exchange that fosters collaboration between ASEAN social entrepreneurs and community-based enterprises.

    “In the last seven years, we have awarded 24 grants to innovative ASEAN social enterprises to help them grow. We realised that to expand our reach, we needed to create broad-based platforms to speak to new markets and audiences. Through Destination: GOOD, we hope to do just that and make social enterprise goods and services accessible to anyone seeking sustainable travel and lifestyle solutions,” said AirAsia Foundation executive director Yap Mun Ching.

    Malaysia’s Minister of Finance, YB Lim Guan Eng, joined AirAsia Group executive chairman Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes at the opening ceremony.

    Also present to share their stories were 10 of AirAsia Foundation’s Malaysian social enterprise partners, including The Basikal, Langit Collective and The Picha Project.

    On the sidelines of the shop opening, AirAsia Foundation signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Kraftangan Malaysia to bring Malaysian crafts to a new audience and with Minconsult Sdn Bhd, the AirAsia philanthropic arm’s first corporate partner, to jointly fund social enterprise outreach activities in Kuala Lumpur. Over the past two years, AirAsia Foundation has operated Destination: GOOD as a pop-up store in various locations, including Kuala Lumpur International Airport (klia2). This is the first time the shop will have a permanent address in the city centre.

  • AirAsia eyes flights to Guam by 2020

    AirAsia eyes flights to Guam by 2020

    AirAsia Philippines is planning flights to Guam by 2020 as rival budget airline Cebu Pacific pulls out.

    AirAsia Philippines’ newly appointed CEO Ricardo Islas said the airline would seek a permit to fly to the United States territory once it had secured regulatory approval to be designated an official carrier to the United States.

    “Upon receipt of designation, AirAsia will be ready to apply for an operating permit to operate flights specifically to Guam,” Isla said in a text message.

    “With a fleet of 24 Airbus A320 aircraft, AirAsia is capable of launching flights as soon as permits are ready,” he added.

    AirAsia Philippines earlier filed a petition before the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) for designation and allocation of entitlements to the United States currently held by Air Philippines, an affiliate of Philippine Airlines. A CAB hearing on the matter has been set on Sept. 10 this year.

    “We are hopeful the Civil Aeronautics Board will grant our petition,” Isla said.

    Guam, about three and a half hours away from the Philippines, has a population of more than 160,000 people—a quarter of which are Filipinos. This made it attractive for Cebu Pacific, which launched flights between Manila and Guam on March 2016.

    “It was a good market but it’s more of us concentrating efforts on North Asia and Southeast Asia,” Cebu Pacific vice president Alexander Lao said in a recent interview. Lao said the carrier would end Manila-to-Guam flights by Dec. 8 this year.

    AirAsia Philippines earlier announced plans to aggressively expand its fleet and add more destinations. Cebu Pacific, the country’s biggest budget airline, is also on expansion mode.

    Cebu Pacific expects to receive more than 60 aircraft in the next eight years. This will include new orders from the Paris Air Show in June for 31 new planes, comprised of 16 Airbus A330neos, 10 A321XLRs, and five A320neos. The new aircraft has a list price of $6.8 billion.

  • AirAsia India to start direct Delhi-Chennai flight from September

    AirAsia India to start direct Delhi-Chennai flight from September

    Budget carrier AirAsia announced a new direct Delhi to Chennai flight. The new flight will be introduced from September 2019. The sale of tickets will begin on 20 September. The tickets can be booked through airasia.com or the AirAsia mobile app.

    “The new daily direct flight between Chennai and New Delhi will help boost our operations in Chennai. We have also increased the frequency between Chennai and various other destinations like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata,” the airline said in a statement.

    AirAsia will also operate a third daily flight between New Delhi and Kolkata.

    The Bengaluru-headquartered airline is also set to launch additional flights on New Delhi-Kolkata route from 20 September.

    The airline has also increased the frequency and introduced a fourth service on the Delhi-Bengaluru route.

    AirAsia India currently flies to 19 destinations with a fleet of 22 aircraft.

    Air Asia India, which started operations in June 2014, is a joint venture between Tata and AirAsia Berhad. It currently operates 164 flights a day, covering 19 destinations and carrying over 25,000 passengers.

    The budget carrier has already started daily direct flight on the Delhi-Chandigarh route from 1 August onwards. The launch fare on Delhi-Chandigarh route is ₹1,365, the airline mentioned. The flight would leave from Delhi at 10.40 am every day and would reach Chandigarh at 11.50 am.

    The return flight would depart from Chandigarh every day at 12.50 pm and arrive at the Delhi airport at 1.55 pm, the low-cost carrier said.

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  • AirAsia cleared to start five new Asian services

    AirAsia cleared to start five new Asian services

    AirAsia was granted traffic rights by the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) to start five new Asian services from August onwards.

    Mavcom’s latest bulletin shows that these flights will operate from Kuala Lumpur to Guangzhou, Jambi and Tanjung Pandan, alongside Sibu-Singapore and Penang-Kuala Terengganu routes.

    The low-cost airline was also cleared to raise frequencies on two domestic services, while both Malaysia Airlines and Malindo Airwere permitted to add flights internationally.

    Traffic rights on nine domestic and international routes were also returned in July, although Mavcom did not specify operators whose traffic rights were given back. This covers three routes to China, two routes to Nepal, one domestic route, as well as one route each to Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam.

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