LONDON – Wednesday 16 November saw the resumption of Air Asia X’s flights between Kuala Lumpur and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The first flight to depart for Jeddah in two years took off with an 80 per cent load factor, somewhat proving the desire for such a route from Malaysia’s capital.
CEO for AirAsia X, Benyamin Ismail said: “We are extremely pleased to return to Jeddah, a gateway to the holy cities of Madinah and Makkah for Muslims. With the resumption of six-weekly flights, we are so blessed the airline is back providing affordable travel for our guests and pilgrims in Malaysia and the region to perform the holy pilgrimage of hajj and umrah.”
“This route has always been our success story in the past due to the substantial traffic between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, as well as the consistently high demand for Umrah services not only from Malaysia but also Indonesia, making Kuala Lumpur an important Umrah hub for the region.”
“Pilgrims from other countries can also conveniently connect to Jeddah via AAX while Saudi visitors can connect to 130 other AirAsia destinations via Kuala Lumpur”
Gateway to Saudi Arabia
Jeddah provides a gateway to the tens of thousands of pilgrims that will travel to Saudi Arabia to observe Hajj or Umrah. Air Asia X has created a new line of business called IKHLAS, that aims to support Muslim communities by providing affordable access to faith based practices.
“We are also proud to be partnering with IKHLAS as they not only offer affordable umrah packages with AAX but will also provide flexible, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) travel and umrah options soon. We believe we can leverage this opportunity to expand our frequency and network in the future and also continue to provide affordable fares and packages to our pilgrims,” continued Ismail.
Prices between Kuala Lumpur and Jeddah start from 1,629 Malaysian Ringgit for a one-way ticket in economy, alternatively RM3,199 will get travellers a premium flat bed for the 9 hour 20 minute flight.
Air Asia X’s travel period is now open for flight bookings between now and November 2023, with new season services to be added shortly
Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah
IKHLAS CEO Ikhlas Kamarudin said: “We have waited two years for the reopening of Saudi Arabia’s travel sectors to make it more convenient for the guests of Allah to perform umrah or Muslim travelers explore other attractive destinations nearby.”
If guests are using IKHLAS to book their journey to Saudi Arabia then there is three packages on offer. They start at RM5,990 for ‘Umrah Lite’, go up to RM6,690 for the ‘Umrah Jejak Rasul’ and also offer Umrah Hawa (RM7,390) that is a dedicated female only service (prices correct as per Thursday 17th Nov). Visit ikhlas.com for further, up to date information.
The AAX schedule provides services between the two cities 6 days a week, with no flights on a Friday. Flight number D7 700 departs KL at 5:20am and lands in Jeddah at 9:50am. Return leg D7 701 then leaves Jeddah at 11:20 and arriving back in KL at 1:10 (+1).
When asked to expand on what IKHLAS endeavours to provide Kamarudin said: “Our goal is to develop a comprehensive travel and lifestyle product to provide albeit low-cost, yet full service to guests to the Holy Land by introducing new ways of Umrah bookings through our innovative system and one-stop platform.”
