Malaysia’s transport ministry is seeking new airlines to operate flights from Kuala Lumpur to New York once national flag-carrier Malaysian Airlines (MAS) ends its service in October.
MAS’s decision to pull its Kuala Lumpur-Stockholm-New York route opens the possibility that AirAsia X, budget carrier AirAsia’s longhaul arm, may grab the sector.
Currently, AirAsia X flies to London, Melbourne, Perth and Taipei. The low-cost carrier has made no secret of its wish to expand its longhaul services to complement with its extensive regional network in southeast Asia.
MAS will retain its offices in Stockholm and New York and will code-share with, KLM, which flies to Stockholm via Amsterdam.
Any new agreement would be subject to approval from the relevant aviation authorities the ministry stressed.
Kenny Coyle
