After several delays, AirAsia X has finally confirmed that it will launch flights to Sydney from Kuala Lumpur (KL) from April 1.
This news came shortly after the airline announced its abandonment of its Gatwick-Kuala Lumpur route and flights to Paris, which end operations on March 30 and March 31 respectively (see story here). According to a statement by the airline, the implementation of the Emissions Trading Scheme and the escalating Air Passenger Duty taxes have forced them to withdraw their services to Europe.
AirAsia X will commence daily services from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Kingsford Smith International Airport, Sydney on an Airbus A330-300 aircraft with 365 economy seats and 12 premium flatbed seats, a product that was unveiled in 2010 (see review here). Premium seat guests will get to enjoy priority check-in and boarding, 20kg baggage allowance and a complimentary meal, pillow and blanket on the flight.
The flight will depart KL daily at 2345, and arrive in Sydney the next day at 0945. Flights from Sydney will leave at 1055 and touch down in KL on the same day at 1725.
Sydney will also be available for the airline’s “fly-thru” bookings from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, which allows passengers to connect to the Australian city seamlessly via Kuala Lumpur. Passengers using the "fly-thru" service do not need to pass through immigration, pay airport tax at the transit hub or conduct baggage re-check during the stopover.
“Australia is a key market for AirAsia X, and the Sydney route has long been a priority due to strong demand from travellers across the globe, especially Asia,” says Azran Osman-Rani, chief executive of AirAsia X.
“Following the success of our Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth services, we always believed Sydney would be a matter of when, not if, and we look forward to making Sydney one of our biggest stories yet,” he adds.
Launch fares for the service start from RM199 (US$64) for one-way on economy, and RM999 (US$319) for one-way on its premium flatbed. Bookings for the launch fares are available from January 17 to January 22 for a travel period between April 1 and October 27 on the AirAsia website.
The long-haul low-cost airline’s commencement of the service in April puts it well ahead of rival Scoot’s launch of its Singapore-Sydney service in mid 2012 (see story here).
For more information, visit www.airasia.com
Tiffany Sandrasageran
