While AirAsia Indonesia recently resumed its flights between Bali and Darwin, long haul subsidiary AirAsia X unveils today that it will serve Adelaide from October 30.
JAKARTA/ADELAIDE– They are more opportunities to now reach Australia out of either Kuala Lumpur or Indonesia with the AirAsia Group. Since July 1st, AirAsia Indonesia is serving again Darwin in the Northern Territory out of Denpasar (Bali). The service is run again four times a week in an Airbus A320. The relatively small aircraft can however cover the distance in 2.45 hours on average.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles said the return of AirAsia showed great confidence in the Territory economy. “The Territory Government and Darwin Airport have worked together to encourage the resumptionof AirAsia’s Bali to Darwin service. These flights will provide a combined total of 1,500 additional seats to and from Darwin every week, and strengthen our ties in the region by improving access to Indonesia, one of our vital trading partners”, he explained.
The Northern Territory hopes also to bring more international travellers to the destination, especially thanks to the network of connections that AirAsia offers out of Bali not only to the rest of Indonesia but also to cities such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Penang.
Meanwhile, AirAsia X, the long-haul affiliate of the AirAsia Group will open its fifth Australian destination with the launch of a daily flight to Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. The new service was announced on Monday by AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani during a special ceremony attended by South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill and Tourism Minister Leon Bignell at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
“The long-haul, low cost airline began services just 6 years ago with the aim of making long-haul travel affordable for everyone. This new route ensures Adelaidians access to over 80 destinations across 20 countries including Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Osaka and Singapore at affordable prices. Guests from the AirAsia Group network may also conveniently fly to Adelaide via Kuala Lumpur hub from October,” indicated Azran Osman-Rani.
Citizens from South Australia will also be able to fly to a host of destinations from Kuala Lumpur using AirAsia’s Fly-Thru service, which allows guests to easily connect between two different flights via the Kuala Lumpur Low Cost Carrier Terminal without having to worry about checking in twice.
Fly-Thru routes available from Adelaide are: Chengdu in China; Bali, Jakarta, Medan and Surabaya in Indonesia; Osaka in Japan; Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Langkawi and Penang in Malaysia; Singapore; Seoul and Busan in South Korea; Taipei in Taiwan; Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand; and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam.
Flights will start from October 30 with four frequencies per week out of Kuala Lumpur. The route will be the only direct low cost service between Malaysia and Adelaide, and will be operated by the Airbus A330-300 aircraft with a seating capacity of 377 including AirAsia X Premium Cabin. The carrier plans already to turn into a daily flight between December and February during the peak season.
Adelaide will be AirAsia X’s fifth Australian destination after the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Special fares are proposed on the airline’s website until August 4th for travel between 30 October 2013 and 5 August 2014.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
