AirAsia X reports strong passenger growth in 4Q23 and FY2023

SEPANG, MALAYSIA – AirAsia X Berhad announced its operating statistics for the Fourth Quarter of 2023 (“4Q23”) and the Full Financial Year Ended 31 December 2023 (“FY2023”).

In 4Q23, the Company carried a total of 890,289 passengers, 2.6 times year-on-year (“YoY”), and achieved an encouraging Passenger Load Factor (“PLF”) of 82%, up by three percentage points, even as seat capacity multiplied by 2.5 times as compared to the same period in the preceding year. This came as the Company ramped up its fleet size and network reach over the past 12 months, further buoyed by the peak year-end holiday and travel season.

During the quarter under review, AirAsia X Malaysia’s number of operational aircraft stood at 16 aircraft as opposed to six aircraft for the quarter ended 31 December 2022 (“4Q22”), delivering increased flight frequencies and network ramp-ups. This ultimately boosted the Company’s Available Seat Kilometres (“ASK”) capacity by 2.8 times YoY to 4,770 million, tracked by RPK growth of close to three times YoY, standing at 3,839 million.

In terms of network, the Company launched a new route to Hong Kong (seven times per week) in the month of December, supported by immense demand from the market. In 4Q23, the Company increased its flight frequencies to Seoul (to 12 times per week), Sydney (11 times per week), Melbourne (12 times per week), and Bangkok (seven times per week), bringing the total weekly flight frequency to 144 flights by year-end.

On a full-year basis, AirAsia X Malaysia posted a healthy PLF of 80% up by two percentage points against the preceding year. Despite a 6.6 times growth in seat capacity, the Company carried over 2.8 million passengers, reflecting a YoY growth of about 6.8 times. With the increase in the number of operational aircraft and the number of flights to 9,799 flights for the year, AirAsia X Malaysia’s ASK capacity surged by 7.5 times to 15,604 million. In 2023, AirAsia X Malaysia served a total of 22 destinations, with a total of eight routes launched over the 12-month period.

AirAsia X Thailand recorded a robust PLF of 86% in 4Q23, as the number of passengers carried grew by about 1.7 times YoY to 387,217 passengers, while seat capacity increased by 1.8 times YoY to 450,979 seats during the quarter. In terms of network, AirAsia X Thailand resumed services to Sapporo,  ending the quarter with 52 flights per week. On a full-year basis, AirAsia X Thailand’s PLF stood at 83%, with over 1.3 million passengers carried in total, up by about 4.5 times compared to the period between January – December 2022. In 2023, AirAsia X Thailand serviced a total of six routes, with its network now encompassing core markets in Japan, South Korea, Australia and China.

AirAsia X’s total fleet size stood at 18 A330s as of the end of 31 December 2023, with 16 aircraft activated and operational, while AirAsia X Thailand’s total fleet size stood at eight  A330s, with seven aircraft activated and operational.

Fourth Quarter 2023 Operating Statistics

Full Year 2023 Operating Statistics

(1) Number of earned seats flown. Earned seats comprise seats sold to passengers (including no-shows) and seats provided for promotional purposes
(2) Number of seats flown
(3) Passengers Carried / Capacity
(4) Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) measures an airline’s passenger capacity. Total seats flown multiplied by the number of kilometres flown
(5) Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPK) is a measure of the volume of passengers carried by the airline. Number of passengers multiplied by the number of kilometres these passengers have flown
(6) Number of flights flown, *excluding charter and cargo flights