AirAsia set to relaunch 7 int'l destinations in China

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia-based low cost airline AirAsia is set to relaunch seven international destinations in China, namely Macao, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Kunming, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Chengdu, as it returns to service stronger than ever in the post-pandemic era.

The budget airline said in a statement on Monday that AirAsia Malaysia will restart four China destinations from two hubs, Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu in the northern Borneo state of Sabah, to Macao, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Kunming with a total of 10 flights weekly, with the plan to increase the frequency by up to 27 flights weekly in March.

The first flight to/from China recommenced on Feb. 10 to/from Guangzhou with strong load factors both ways.

Complementing the resumption of the short-haul destinations, AirAsia X Malaysia will also reconnect Kuala Lumpur to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Chengdu with 10 flights weekly starting March 1.

AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat said China is an integral market for AirAsia Aviation Group, where it was the largest international low-cost carrier by capacity before the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Based on the impressive load factor of our inaugural flight to/from Guangzhou, the restart of our services will not only provide greater value and accessibility to essential travelers from Malaysia and tourists from China, but will significantly boost tourism, trade and economic growth in both countries," he added.

AirAsia X Malaysia CEO Benyamin Ismail said China will be the company's next primary market focus as it resumes its growth strategy flying its most popular and profitable routes.

"We have witnessed tremendous success with our services to China in the past where we carried over 1.8 million guests to/from China in 2019 alone," he added.

"We believe the recommencement of our services to China will be popular for business travelers, international students, those visiting family and relatives as well as stimulating regional demand between two large markets through great value airfares and services."