AirAsia X seeks to add 2 Japan cities for low-fare service by 2012+

TOKYO, Sept. 21 Kyodo -
The chief executive officer of AirAsia X, the Malaysian-based long-haul
low-cost carrier, said Tuesday his company aims to add two Japanese airports
for the airline's low-fare international service by 2012 after launching
flights between Tokyo's Haneda airport and Malaysia this coming December.
''As far as other airports in Japan, we remain interested, I have always said
Japan is a market where we can operate at three different airports, including
Haneda,'' Azran Osman-Rani said in an interview with Kyodo News, adding that he
would consider airports in Osaka, Sapporo, Nagoya and Fukuoka.
''The cities other than Tokyo are not well known so we will not fly
immediately, but once when the people of Malaysia know that we are flying to
Japan, word gets around and that's when we can start direct flights there,''
the 38-year-old Osman-Rani said. ''It will take maybe one or two years to build
this awareness for these cities.''
AirAsia X, an affiliate of AirAsia, one of the biggest low-cost carriers in
Southeast Asia, announced Tuesday it will launch a direct flight service
between Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Tokyo's Haneda airport from Dec.
9, with fares 40 to 50 percent lower than those currently offered by other
airlines on average.
AirAsia X hopes that with its attractive pricing and high-quality service, it
can tap into a pool of Asian tourists who have never visited Japan and create
demand for overseas travel for Japanese travelers.
Moves are also increasing among some regional airports in Japan to attract
low-cost carriers, as the number of their existing flight services has remained
stagnant.
Osman-Rani stressed that his priorities for future flight expansion in Japan
would be Fukuoka and Osaka.
''I like Nagoya but in my mind I'm not sure because in Nagoya you are just over
one hour from Tokyo. Maybe later when there is a lot of demand, (I may consider
it). Osaka and Fukuoka are the higher priorities,'' he said.
On Ibaraki airport, which AirAsia had once considered serving, Osman-Rani said,
''An airport like Ibaraki probably needs to develop more of its short-haul
network before it becomes viable for long-haul networks such as ours. The power
of Haneda, by contrast, is very strong with a domestic network of dozens and
dozens of flights to Sapporo, Osaka, Fukuoka and many other places.''
AirAsia X hopes to see a load capacity of 75 percent in the first year in
flights between Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur, with an aim of increasing the number to
80 percent by the end of the second year. It targets mostly young tourists,
some businesspeople and retirees.
''I think Southeast Asia is very unique and the best part of Southeast Asia is
you don't need to choose where to go. You can go to the beach islands for few
days and to the city for shopping, nightlife and also go to adventure
destinations. Everywhere is one-hour flight and very cheap, 10 dollars, 20
dollars,'' he said.
==Kyodo
2010-09-22 00:04:36