分类： Air Asia

Thai AirAsia Expands Transfer Service to Koh Tao and Mukdahan

Thai AirAsia is expanding its transfer service in Thailand connecting flights from Don Mueang to both Koh Tao and Mukdahan.

Travellers can now land in Surat Thani or Nakhon Si Thammarat and transfer by Shuttle Van to Ferry to one of Asia’s top ranked island getaways from just 1,690 THB per trip.

AirAsia’s transfer service will now also get travelers from Don Mueang-Mukdahan (from Nakhon Panom Airport), to its Crystal Tower and famed Indochina Market, at the starting fare of only 1,165 THB per trip.

Special fares are available on a first come first served basis until 15 June for travel between 16 June and 30 September 2014.

Mr. Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia, pointed out AirAsia has prioritized creating convenience of travel through its network as well as through its shuttle van and ferry transfers. He disclosed that the airline’s City Transfers from Don Mueang-Pai (from Chiang Mai Airport) and Don Mueang-Sukhothai (from Phitsanulok Airport) have both been well received by both Thai and foreign travelers, especially Chinese travelers seeking easy ways to travel to new locations.

Thai AirAsia’s other island transfers include Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Lanta, Koh Lipe, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Ngai and Koh Yao Noi.

AirAsia cancels expansion plan due to rising costs

Budget airline Indonesia AirAsia has canceled its plan to open new international routes from the archipelago due to rising costs in the airline industry resulting from the weakening of the rupiah against the US dollar.

AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said the aviation industry in Indonesia would likely still face tough challenges this year amid the depreciation of the rupiah, higher airport taxes and the absence of improvements in the airport’s capacity.

继续阅读AirAsia cancels expansion plan due to rising costs

Thai AirAsia X eyes post-coup expansion

Thai AirAsia X (TAAX), Thailand’s first long-haul low-cost carrier, is looking to launch an aggressive expansion as the post-coup situation appears to brighten the aviation outlook. 

TAAX, which is scheduled to take to the skies on June 17 from its Bangkok base at Don Mueang airport to Incheon, South Korea, expects to switch from its current conservative growth plan to a more aggressive one over the next two months, chief executive Nadda Buranasiri said yesterday.

He said market response to the ticket sale for its second destination, Japan, would be a crucial factor in whether the airline geared up.

TAAX is due to start a sales campaign for its two Japanese routes — Narita and Osaka — next month before flights start towards the end of August.

The airline’s business plan was mapped out when Thailand was gripped by prolonged political unrest that reached an impasse and took a heavy toll on the tourism and airline industries.

Mr Nadda, 51, said the airline business environment seems to have improved since the May 22 coup, as the overall situation was becoming stable enough to boost travel sentiment.

“The business community wants a political situation that is stable and predictable, and airlines like us are no exception. We’re seeing good things coming our way,” he said.

In the pipeline for possible acceleration are the introduction of service to Chinese destinations such as Habin, Shanghai and Beijing.

Another possibility is to add more frequent flights on its South Korean and Japanese routes.

On the radar screen in the more distant future is Australia, Mr Nada said.

The airline’s network expansion is geared towards cities popular among Thai travellers in terms of attractiveness, food and culture, with convenient entry access in terms of easy or no visa requirements.

Those criteria are present for its first two launch countries — Japan and South Korea — now prominent on many Thai tourists’ maps.

TAAX has been able to record a high 80%-plus cabin factor in bookings for its first route from Don Mueang to Incheon airport in the three-month period after its launch.

The airline is on track to offer daily service to Narita airport and five flights a week to Kansai airport in Osaka.

TAAX has two leased wide-body A330-300s with 377 seats to support its planned services to South Korea and Japan.

AirAsia Shifts Focus to Kalibo

As the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila continues to suffer from congestion issues with limited slots available for carriers launching new routes, AirAsia Philippines has decided to concentrate its efforts on the development of a second hub at Kalibo International Airport. 

air asia philippines
Copyright Photo: Angelo Agcamaran/PPSG
AirAsia Philippines relocated its hub from Clark International Airport to Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the hopes that basing its operations at the country’s main international gateway would boost its prospects in the Philippine market. But frequent delays at the airport have resulted in aircraft burning more fuel and adding costs to the airline’s operations.

According to Maan Hontiveros, President & CEO of AirAsia Philippines, aircraft have been delayed taking off and landing due to the congestion at the airport. She recalled a recent Tacloban flight that was forced into a holding pattern, delaying landing for an additional 15 minutes due to heavy traffic at Terminal 4. These delays add significant fuel cost by the minute.

Although the carrier’s operations are currently based at NAIA Terminal 4, it is trying to shift more of its flights to Terminal 3 to alleviate some of the congestion issues. In addition, with Kalibo being developed as the secondary hub of the airline, many of the budget carrier’s aircraft will be relocated to Kalibo.

In an effort to achieve profitability, AirAsia is concentrating on its second hub at Kalibo International Airport where there is less congestion and less competition. The carrier will be increasing its number of daily flights between Manila and Kalibo from seven to thirteen, while it concentrates on a massive international expansion that will see the airline launch several new direct routes from Kalibo to China and South Korea.

AirAsia is banking on opening up new markets from Kalibo where it intends to launch flights to several Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Wenzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Ningbo, Changsha, Xiamen, and Hangzhou. In addition, the carrier is targeting Seoul Incheon and Pusan in South Korea.
After Kalibo, Hontiveros indicated that AirAsia Philippines wants to expand its regional flights to other points in Southeast Asia once the domestic route network has been rationalised and consolidated. “We have applied for rights to fly to Bangkok, Singapore, and Japan,” said Hontiveros. The new regional flights will be operated from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.
Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia Group added that while there are challenges at the carrier’s hub in Manila, there is much potential in the region. “When you’re at the doorstep of three large economies – South Korea, Japan, and China – the potential is very bright,” said Fernandes. “Although it is constrained by the airport, we have very exciting plans outside Manila where we think we can open up new markets.”
Fernandes added that AirAsia may consider restoring operations at Clark International Airport pending the completion of a road linking Clark with Makati in 2016. “We like Clark,” said Fernandes.