With up to 5.2 million seats annually, AirAsia announced a major expansion of its services between China-Malaysia and India-Malaysia. Beginning in the first quarter of 2024, there will be an astounding 230 weekly flights between the two countries.
Following the announcement by the Malaysian government that visitors from China and India would be able to enter Malaysia for 30 days without a visa as of December 1st 2023, there will be a significant increase in capacity via AirAsia Malaysia (airline code AK) and AirAsia X Malaysia (airline code D7). The news also comes at the same time as the announcement that Malaysians will have fewer travel restrictions to China starting on December 1 2023.
“This is a huge, much-anticipated news not only for AirAsia but for the country, and we truly thank the Malaysian government, particularly Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, for this forward-thinking initiative. AirAsia has been at the forefront of trying to make visiting Malaysia easier. The 30-day visa-free entry for the citizens of China and India will surely provide a welcome boost for Malaysia’s tourism and its economy ahead of the upcoming peak travel season while boosting economic bonds between these great nations. As a vital player in the aviation sector, we stand ready to add capacity to support the demand for affordable and accessible air travel in the region.”
Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A.
“We see this as an opportunity not only to enhance regional connectivity in two of our largest markets, but also to act as a catalyst for significant economic growth. With an estimated 4.6 million guests expected to travel on our extensive network of 26 routes in China and India in 2024 alone, we are ready to play a pivotal role in achieving Malaysia’s ambitious tourism targets of 25 million international tourists annually.”
Bo Lingam, CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group Limited Group
The biggest international low-cost airline in China, AirAsia Malaysia (AK) and AirAsia X Malaysia (D7) operate 156 weekly flights on 17 routes into the nation. From Kuala Lumpur, Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Kunming, Guilin), Nanning, Shantou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Beijing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai are served by AirAsia Malaysia (AK) and AirAsia X Malaysia (D7) flights. In addition, AirAsia Malaysia (AK) operates flights from Johor Bahru to Guangzhou and from Kota Kinabalu to Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing, and Wuhan.
Additionally, both airlines have upped their frequency to nine routes into India, for a total of 74 weekly flights. Beginning in February 2024, AirAsia Malaysia (AK) will operate flights from Kuala Lumpur to the following new destinations: Bengaluru, Kolkata, Cochin, Hyderabad, Chennai, Trichy, and Trivandrum. Kuala Lumpur is served by AirAsia X Malaysia (D7) flights to New Delhi and Amritsar.
The China Embassy in Malaysia recently declared that ordinary passport holders from Malaysia who go to China for leisure, business, family visits, or transit can enter the country for up to 15 days without a visa beginning on December 1, 2023, and ending on November 30, 2024.
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