Land of the rising sun

Wiki stated that AirAsia will commence this route on 7th Dec 2010. Click here.

AirAsia To Offer ¥14,000 Malaysia-Japan Flights

KUALA LUMPUR (Nikkei)--Budget Malaysian carrier AirAsia Bhd said Tuesday that it plans to launch its first flights serving Japan by the end of the year, selling one-way tickets between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo for as low as 14,000 yen.

Operated by AirAsia X, AirAsia's long-distance airline, the flights between Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Tokyo's Haneda airport will begin at a pace of three per week. But the company aims to ramp up to seven flights as soon as possible, AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes told The Nikkei.

The flights are expected to use Airbus SAS' A330 aircraft. The Japanese government has already allotted landing and takeoff slots to AirAsia X at Haneda.

At present, the cheapest round-trip airfares for Japan-Malaysia flights sell for more than 40,000 yen. Saying that the one-way fare for its flights will likely cost less than a cab ride from Tokyo to Narita International Airport, Fernandes expressed his confidence in the service's success.

The CEO sees the flights attracting passengers in Malaysia as well, pointing out that Japan is becoming increasingly popular as a tourist destination among people in Southeast Asia. The company hopes to also launch service between Malaysia and other major Japanese cities, such as Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka, Fernandes added.

Since beginning full-scale operations in 2002, AirAsia has grown sharply by offering low-cost flights. As of the end of 2009, the company served 136 cities in a total of 18 countries and areas. AirAsia saw its passenger traffic jump 24% to about 22.7 million last year, topping Singapore Airlines Ltd.'s roughly 16.3 million to become the biggest airline company in Southeast Asia.

(The Nikkei April 14 morning edition)