LONDON – This week has seen a celebration of AirAsia X’s (AAX) return to flight operations to and from Perth Airport in Western Australia. AAX is the medium to long haul arm of the parent company that is well known to be Asia’s biggest low cost airline.
The return to Perth Airport provides both, more choice and value to those wanting to travel to Asia from Australia. There has been a dramatic increase in demand for the route since the easing of pandemic restrictions.
The celebrated flight, which left from Kuala Lumpur arrived in Perth at 7:55am. Leaving to head back for the Malaysian capital at 9:10am. This will be the start of an operation of three weekly services throughout the month of November, and will increase up to 5 weekly services during December, as the airline attempts to support demand.
The 5 hour 40 minute flight between the two cities will cost 209 Australian dollars for an economy ticket, and increases to just short of 800 AUD for a premium flatbed seat. Seats can be booked for a period of travel between January 1 2023 and October 28 2023.
AirAsia X CEO statement
Chief Executive Officer for AAX, Benyamin Ismail was buoyant on the news of route opening, saying: “It’s great to be back with our direct services between Kuala Lumpur and Perth, following the launch of new services to Melbourne and Auckland earlier this week.”
“West Australia has always been amongst our most popular destinations for leisure, tourism, students and the visiting friends and family markets and given its close proximity to South East Asia which is why this is one of the first destinations we are returning to post pandemic.”
The strong demand for tickets between Western Australia and Asia isn’t just limited flights into Kuala Lumpur. The Indonesian arm of Air Asia’s operations has recently increased its flight operations by two fold to ensure it meets strong customer demand. Perth – Bali now flies twice daily, demonstrating just how popular the route has proved.
“Aussies love our great value fares to Malaysia which also connect to our vast network throughout Asia to everyone’s favourite holiday destinations such as Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, India, South Korea, Vietnam and many more. We thank our tourism and airport partners for helping make these new services a reality and look forward to growing them in line with strong forecast demand.” continued Ismail.
Australian marketing drive
Air Asia X is currently undergoing a large marketing drive within Australia, painting areas within cities Sydney and Melbourne red in a promotional drive throughout November. Martin Place Sydney (Nov 15th) and Queensbridge Square in Melbourne (Nov 7th) will see music, activities, giveaways and Malaysian food on offer as part of their consumer promotions.
CEO of Perth Airport, Kevin Brown was also pleased to see news of further commitments of flights into the Western Australia market, saying: “It is great to see AirAsia X back at Perth Airport with its Perth-Kuala Lumpur service. The three weekly service is great news for the travelling public and highlights the airline’s commitment to the Western Australian market.”
“Perth Airport will continue to work with our airline partners and the State Government to increase services to Perth as international airline connectivity is crucial for the tourism, business, and education sector’s recovery,” Brown continued, commenting on the airport’s commitment to increasing services in and out of Perth Airport, as air travel continues along its long road to recovery post-Covid.
