News

Air Asia to switch from Stansted to Gatwick

12 Jul 2011 by BusinessTraveller

Air Asia will switch its London operations from Stansted to Gatwick airport starting from October 24.

The low-cost carrier launched services to London Stansted in March 2009 (click here for more information), but CEO Azran Osman-Rani announced that flights will be switched to Gatwick in October due to the airport's "bigger, broader catchment area", and "the increased opportunities for connections, including flights to the US East Coast". Osman-Rani also said that recent increases in APD charges "had reduced the advantages Stansted has a long-haul hub".

The carrier has been granted similar slot times to those planned for Stansted for the winter season, and passengers with existing bookings from Stansted after October 24 will be offered bus transfers where needed. Easyjet says it will also transfer passengers with connecting flights onto similar services from Gatwick.

Unlike the Stansted launch though there will be no £99 promotional one-way fares - Osman-Rani admitted such offers were no longer possible as "the taxes alone are in three figures". He also said that if fuel prices were to stay at current levels, there would be no new European routes in the next twelve months.

Air Asia currently operates the London-KL route with A340 aircraft, but will take delivery of two A330-200s next year which will be used on the route. These aircraft will feature an increased number of Premium Fly Flat seats (24 as opposed to 18 on the A340s), and the carrier also plans to trial a new wifi inflight entertainment system on the London-KL route from this December (see online news June 23).

Having lost several long-haul routes over the last few years, Gatwick has announced two routes to South East Asia in as many months, with Vietnam Airlines also due to launch a twice-weekly service from this December (see online news June 20).

For more information visit airasia.com.

Report by Mark Caswell

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