AirAsia Strengthens Sabah's Regional Connectivity as Part of Its ASEAN Integration Plan

AirAsia reaffirmed Kota Kinabalu’s position as a regional hub when it officially launched its direct flights to Kota Kinabalu from Jakarta and Bali, Indonesia. This will further heighten Sabah’s position as a premier ecotourism destination led by AirAsia’s aggressive expansion plans towards becoming an ASEAN airline.

 

Jakarta-Kota Kinabalu’s first flight commenced on 30-Mar-08 and Bali-Kota Kinabalu’s inaugural flight took off on 02-May-08 with both routes being serviced three times per week. Kota Kinabalu hub currently serves 12 routes to and from Kota Kinabalu including Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru, Kuching, Miri, Tawau, Sandakan, Shenzhen and Macau in China, Clark (Manila) in Philippines, and now Jakarta and Bali. Taking into consideration direct flights between Kuala Lumpur-Tawau and Kuala Lumpur-Sandakan, AirAsia has a total of 14 routes to and from Sabah.

Dato’ Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia, said “Kota Kinabalu remains as our biggest Malaysian hub after Kuala Lumpur and we are pleased with the passenger growth to date. Our average load factor in 2007 for our Sabah routes exceeds 75%, proving that low fares have made a big difference to growing traffic and raising Sabah’s tourism potential. By geographic location, air linkages play a crucial role in Sabah and it is vital for AirAsia to play its role to spearhead Sabah as the gateway for trade, investment and tourism in the region under the Sabah Development Corridor.”

Meanwhile, Captain Dharmadi, CEO of Indonesia AirAsia, said “Sabah is poised for tremendous growth and we are looking forward to build upon the successful relationship that AirAsia has with the State Government, and with these two new routes, we know we can attract more visitors to the region. We will continue to work closely together and further strengthen the relationship. On the other hand, Indonesia has so much to offer in which a cultural exchange between the two countries will indeed be a win-win situation.”

© Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 05-May-08