KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Building on the theme of ‘Connected and Resilient Community,’ delegates from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered here Thursday to celebrate 57 years of partnership and unity, as AirAsia announced more flights in the future.
The Malaysian multinational low-cost airline said it is expanding its commercial operations “to elevate tourism and economic growth” across the region. This is expected to facilitate closer people-to-people linkages and a more active business environment.
“As a group, we will operate a total of 3,281 flights weekly across the 10 ASEAN countries,” AirAsia Malaysia Managing Director Captain Fareh Mazputra told guests and media delegates present during a ceremony held at the AirAsia RedQ in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 2.
AirAsia Malaysia aims to operate 45 percent of its total flights weekly to ASEAN countries with 78 routes by the end of 2024. The company anticipates to accommodate 75 million guests onboard its 239 aircraft by yearend from the 61 million travelers it served in 2023.
In the first half of 2024, AirAsia launched new routes from Kuala Lumpur to various destinations in Thailand (Pattaya, Chiang Rai), Laos (Vientiane), and Indonesia (Labuan Bajo; Manado via Kota Kinabalu). It will also resume its Kuala Lumpur to Da Lat, Vietnam route this November 1, 2024.
“These route launches are part of our broader strategy to reinforce our network and provide more affordable travel options within ASEAN. The increased frequencies and resumed routes are expected to significantly boost tourism by offering more travel options and flexibility,” Mazputra said.
“This, in turn, will lead to higher tourist arrivals, increased spending in local businesses, and the creation of jobs in the tourism sector… We will continue to strengthen our presence in this dynamic region, which is home to over 700 million people,” the AirAsia official added.
In the Philippines, the airline aims to push its operations from 16 to 19 aircraft by the end of 2024, according to AirAsia Deputy CEO of Operations Captain Chester Voo. This is to support its load factor, which is currently at 95 percent.
“It makes perfect sense to add more capacity because there is more room to grow. Because at 95 percent your aircraft is almost full, so you add a bit more. But, of course, this depends on actually obtaining the slots in Manila, which we are working on,” Voo told Manila-based reporters.
As a group, Voo said AirAsia anticipates to be at “full swing pre-Covid capacity” boosted by its year-on-year growth. He noted they are looking forward to add almost 30 new routes across ASEAN, not just the Philippines, despite some challenges.
Voo said they continue to bank on their company’s resiliency in managing risks and addressing operational concerns, including rising fuel costs and the recent global IT outage that affected some of its flights in Malaysia and the Philippines.
Malaysia Deputy Foreign Minister Mohamad bin Haji Alamin commended AirAsia for taking this direction, acknowledging the crucial role it plays in enhancing connectivity by making traveling within the region more accessible and affordable.
“This facilitates business travels and contributes to our efforts to enhance regional economic integration and intra-ASEAN trade,” Alamin said. “Tourism promotes people-to-people linkages. This, in turn, helps to deepen awareness and greater understanding amongst the peoples of ASEAN.”
Alamin also thanked the airline for extending its services to help evacuate Malaysians in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which is currently embroiled in an intense political crisis.
Meanwhile, the event also saw the promotion of the recently improved AirAsia MOVE (formerly Superapp), the all-in-one travel mobile app of the airline. It signed a collaboration agreement with the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA), represented by its president Eddy Krismeidi Soemawilaga.
“Our expanding operational footprint, with major hubs in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Cambodia, is a reflection of our unwavering belief in the power and potential of ASEAN unity and strength as an economic bloc,” AirAsia Aviation Group CEO Bo Lingam said in a statement.
“We take great pride in championing the ASEAN Economic Community’s vision of creating a single market and production base. This will help reduce our costs by having common standards: one air-traffic-control system, one engineering system, open skies policy and common ownership,” he added.
ASEAN Day is celebrated every August 8th to commemorate the founding of the regional intergovernmental organization that fosters cooperation and integration among its 10 member states.
The occasion serves as a platform to emphasize the significance of regional collaboration in addressing shared challenges, fostering economic growth and cultural understanding between ASEAN neighbors.
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