AirAsia X Relaunches Services to Australia and New Zealand

An AirAsia X Airbus A330-300 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Hisham Qadri)

[ Airlines ]July 18, 2022 9:37 am ET

By Will Lee

AirAsia X, the Malaysian no-frills carrier, has announced to resume its service from Malaysia to both Australia and New Zealand. South-west Pacific is an important market for AirAsia X, it carried over a million passengers to Australia and New Zealand in 2019. AirAsia X is the affiliated airline of AirAsia Aviation Group providing long-haul services in Asia.

“As the world reopens and travel restrictions ease, we are confident these new services will prove popular.” Benyamin Ismail, Chief Executive of AirAsia X said.

The airline will operate flights between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to the Australian cities of Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland, New Zealand, starting from Nov. 1. The flight will fly to Auckland via Sydney. AirAsia X is set to operate three times a week in these Australian cities with Airbus A330 aircraft, it is expected the services will be gradually added to the daily operation in early 2023. Earlier, the airline announced a two-times-a-week from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney, starting on Sep. 2.

Meanwhile, the passengers could stand to benefit from the new route, AirAsia X will offer a competitive price on the route from Auckland to Sydney. Auckland Airport welcomes the decision.

In response to the new route, Scott Tasker, the General Manager Customer and Aeronautical Commercial said, “The new service will not only provide more choice for trans-Tasman travelers looking for competitive fares route on the popular route between Sydney and Auckland but is a great option for those wanting to connect through to AirAsia’s extensive Asian network.”

AirAsia X has suspended its service to Melbourne since 2020. In 2018, the airline has moved its services to Melbourne Avalon Airport. However, the new services between Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne will shift to Melbourne Tullamarine Airport (MEL) in the future.

Melbourne Tullamarine Airport mentioned that the airport is the destination of choice for budget airlines. The airport is already the hub of Jetstar, the subsidiary of Qantas.

Since the travel restrictions were lifted, AirAsia X has enhanced its services by adding multiple destinations. Earlier, the airline announced the new long-haul routes from Kuala Lumpur to Honolulu, London, Dubai and Istanbul, and other Asian destinations by the end of the year. The airline has ceased its operation to London in 2012.

New Services to London and Honolulu

The airline said the fares to London will generally be higher, as a result of the surging price of fuel.

“The return to London and first-time flights direct to Dubai and Istanbul will be a game-changer for great value long haul travel,” Ismail said.

AirAsia X hopes its new business model, combining cargo and passengers enables the carrier to make a profit. According to the airline, it owns a fleet of 39 Airbus A330 aircraft including 15 in its affiliates, 13 in AirAsia X Thailand and two in AirAsia X Indonesia.

Since the country’s border reopened in April, the travel demand in Malaysia has surged. According to Malaysia Airports, the international passenger movements reached 1.03 million in May, the highest record since 2020.