MAAX currently operates 20 A330-300s but three of these aircraft are currently used for charters and wet leases. MAAX is only committed to charters and wet leases through 3Q2015, giving it spare capacity to expand its scheduled operation in 4Q2015. Some of this capacity has already been allocated with additional flying from Kuala Lumpur, including a new four times per week service to Sapporo in Japan from 1-Oct-2015 and the planned 1-Nov-2015 launch of four weekly flights to Honolulu via Osaka pending approvals from US authorities.
Mr Ramanathan told CAPA TV that the group continues to look at other niche opportunities to grow the network from Kuala Lumpur as well as more secondary cities in China and Japan. But the main focus for AirAsia X over the next few years will be on expanding the network from the newer and much smaller hubs of Bangkok and Bali, where growth is still planned for 2H2015 despite the slowdown in fleet growth at TAAX and IAAX.
TAAX currently serves Osaka Kansai, Seoul Incheon and Tokyo Narita and is planning to add services to Australia, China, Iran and Russia. Expansion to Korea and Japan could resume in 2016 if Korean and Japanese authorities lift current ICAO-related restrictions blocking new flights from Thai carriers.
IAAX currently serves Melbourne and Taipei and recently confirmed the launch of five weekly flights to Sydney from 17-Oct-2015. New routes to Auckland, Brisbane, Jeddah, Tokyo Narita and potentially China are in the pipeline.