AirAsia Plans China, India Growth Amid Entry To Central Asia Market

AirAsia Malaysia and affiliate LCC AirAsia X have unveiled plans to expand their route networks in 2024, increasing capacity to China and India and launching a new route to Central Asia.

The carriers intend to offer a “significant increase” in flights to both China and India during the first quarter of next year in response to the Malaysian government’s decision to allow citizens from the two countries 30-day visa-free entry to Malaysia from Dec. 1, 2023. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made the announcement Nov. 26, on the final day of the People's Justice Party’s congress.

The move comes days after China said it plans to trial visa-free travel for citizens from Malaysia from December through Nov. 30, 2024. Visitors from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain will also be allowed to enter China for up to 15 days without a visa.

“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,” AirAsia Aviation Group CEO Bo Lingam says. “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.”

AirAsia Malaysia and AirAsia X offer 17 routes to mainland China, flying from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Guilin, Hangzhou, Kunming, Nanning, Quanzhou, Shanghai, Shantou and Shenzhen. AirAsia Malaysia also flies from Kota Kinabalu to Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Wuhan, as well as from Johor Bahru to Guangzhou.

In the Indian market, AirAsia Malaysia serves Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Trichy from KUL, while AirAsia X flies from Malaysia’s capital to Amritsar and New Delhi. Additionally, AirAsia Malaysia will start flights between KUL and Thiruvananthapuram, India, from Feb. 21, 2024, operating the route 4X-weekly.

“We’re thrilled to strengthen our presence in India with this new route to the historically rich city of Thiruvananthapuram,” AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat says, noting the airline will operate 71 weekly flights to India in 2024 “with more to come.”

He adds: “Undoubtedly, India is one of AirAsia’s most popular destinations for Malaysian travelers. We hold a market share of 47% of the international air connectivity between the two nations.”

Elsewhere, AirAsia X will open service between KUL and Almaty International Airport (ALA), Kazakhstan, from March 14, 2024, flying the route 4X-weekly with an Airbus A330 aircraft.

“This is an entirely new market for [AirAsia X] and a strategic route to expand into, bringing other parts of the world closer to Southeast Asia,” AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail says in a statement. “As our first foray into Central Asia, the expansion into the Kazakh market is a strong testament to our vision and determination to explore new territories ... The move to introduce direct flights to Almaty is expected to foster significant trade, commerce and education interchange, considering Kazakhstan's status as the wealthiest country in Central Asia.”

As reported on Nov. 22, AirAsia Malaysia intends to introduce its first Australian route during the first quarter of 2024. The LCC will connect KUL and Perth Airport daily from March 11 using A321neos, complementing the existing daily service between the cities flown by AirAsia X.