Airasia X Eyes US Market By Year-end

[Naim 6]

Bernama.com

March 27, 2009 16:16 PM

 

Airasia X Eyes US Market By Year-end

 

SEPANG, March 27 (Bernama) -- AirAsia X, the low-cost long-haul carrier, is eyeing the US market by year-end following its successful launch of the Kuala Lumpur-London route, chief executive officer Azran Osman Rani said today.

 

"There has been a lot of interest from the John F. Kennedy International Airport (in New York) and airports in California have also contacted us," he said.

 

Azran said the US airport operators realised that the air-travel traffic growth was coming from Asia and the premium airlines were also cutting back on their capacity to the West Coast and East Coast of the United States.

 

AirAsia X, which has already finalised the leasing of its second A340-300 from Air Canada, will either fly the Kuala Lumpur-Los Angeles route or Kuala Lumpur-London-New York route, he told reporters after AirAsia Academy's graduation ceremony here.

 

"If we have one plane, at most we can do is five times a week to Los Angeles. The challenge is to secure the rights from the governments," he said, adding that this would be a new market for AirAsia X.

 

On the Middle East, Azran said the possibility of the airline flying there could also materialise within this year.

 

-- BERNAMA

 

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/news_lite.php?id=399578

[Azman MN 1]

5x per week = 1500 passengers, so US embassy can process up to 1000 visas per week?

 

 

[Kevin Teh 0]

so it is confirmed that the 2nd 340 will also come from Air Canada. Hope they do it man, so that i can fly to LA again... before my visa expires.... he he he

[Waiping 12]

AirAsia X no longer pursue the Japan market? I thought Japan and US visa are difficult to come by.

[Walter Sim 1]

Can the aircraft do kl lax? I don't think so might need a stop somewhere. Japan?

[Wilson Kook 0]

What's the max flying time for the A343. Anyone?

[Alif A. F. 0]

Can the aircraft do kl lax? I don't think so might need a stop somewhere. Japan?

 

typo error or misinformed? should be A345...hehehe

[Hon Kit 3]

i thought they are point to pont ? now got connecting pulak.

[Tamizi Hj Tamby 1]

If i'm not mistaken,here's the plan (if they're flying to NY-JFK):KUL-STN-JFK

 

[Yusoff 1]

AirAsia X no longer pursue the Japan market? I thought Japan and US visa are difficult to come by.

Yeah.. The KL-Sapporo, KL-Osaka dream...

I think that they finally realized that if they were to do Japan routes, they should do NRT-Sapporo instead of KL-Sapporo due to load factor...

[Seth K 3]

KUL-STN-JFK would be more plausible than KUL-XXX-LAX. Again, if they can't do Japan route soon, the US route would be just a wet dream for AKX.

[Juergen Witte 0]

It will be a "hard nut" to crack obtaining the neccessary traffic rights !

 

If that fails i´d suspect they still look into further european destinations.

I had the impression they were focused on Europe at the moment but probably the drive behind starting flights to the U.S. is to gain a wider recognition of the Air Asia brand in shorter time ...

 

We´ll see ...

 

@Seth K

 

I agree the routing KUL-STN-NYC would be the most plausible

 

But - where will AAX get their needed additional a/c from ??? (A340-300´s are not really many on the 2nd hand market ... )

Edited March 27, 2009 by Juergen Witte

[MIR 2]

But - where will AAX get their needed additional a/c from ??? (A340-300´s are not really many on the 2nd hand market ... )

 

AirAsia X, which has already finalised the leasing of its second A340-300 from Air Canada -Bernama

I have a strong feeling that the Air Canada which was photographed by KC Sim in Changi last week will be AirAsia X next A340-300. PHOTO

 

[flee 5]

AirAsia X no longer pursue the Japan market? I thought Japan and US visa are difficult to come by.

I think that they are having problems with the Japanese airports' ground handling arrangements. AAX wants to do their own handling but were told that they had to use ANA/JAL handling services (at high cost). That will not make economic sense - so more barriers need to be broken.

 

 

[flee 5]

What's the max flying time for the A343. Anyone?

According to the Airbus website, aircraft range:

 

A330-300: 10,500 km

A340-300: 13,350 (13,700) km

A340-500: 16,100 (16,700) km

A340-600: 14,360 (14,600) km

 

 

[Dr Chuo Hock Tieng 0]

KUL-STN-JFK would be more plausible than KUL-XXX-LAX. Again, if they can't do Japan route soon, the US route would be just a wet dream for AKX.

 

still can do KUL-NRT-LAX right? 1 stone kills 2 birds. btw, does Japan has LCC already?

[flee 5]

KUL-STN-JFK would be more plausible than KUL-XXX-LAX. Again, if they can't do Japan route soon, the US route would be just a wet dream for AKX.

Agree, when they have the second A343, then they can mount 5 flights a week to JFK from STN. However, it will be a long, long flight if the pax start their journey from KUL! And as Azran has said, getting the rights will be a big challenge because D7 is neither a British nor American carrier...

 

 

I have a strong feeling that the Air Canada which was photographed by KC Sim in Changi last week will be AirAsia X next A340-300. PHOTO

That aircraft, regn C-GDVZ, should be it as it was in storage by AC. This should become 9M-XAC when it joins the D7 fleet. In the long run D7 is really looking at the A350 - Tony Fernandes was in Toulouse last week for meetings with Airbus.

[flee 5]

Malaysian long-haul low-cost carrier AirAsia X is considering destinations in North America and new destinations in Europe, possibly using Airbus A340-300s.

 

"(It is) too early to get into specifics, but for Europe we would be keen on a central European destination and an eastern European destination," AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani says in an email to ATI. "For North America, maybe one on the east coast and one on the west coast."

 

While he gave no timeframe for the possible new routes, he says the airline will continue monitoring trends within the lease market for A340-300s.

 

"We will not be actively looking for A340s until next year," he says.

 

"We want to get comfortable with A340 operations and economics with the two that we have leased, but we will keep monitoring the trends in the lease market for the A340-300."

 

Azran says: "We would only be looking at the A340-300 model, and ideally with the same CFM engines."

 

In an email to Malaysian publication The Business Times, Azran says - with regards to the lease market for A340s- "we expect the lease market to soften further as the Boeing 787s come on stream."

 

"It is not difficult to find A340s; it's just that we're choosy and patient, waiting to pounce on a lease only when it is very favourable," he adds.

 

At the Paris air show yesterday, AirAsia X announced it would buy ten Airbus A350-900s, each with 400 seats in a two-classten-abreast cabin layout. These are to be delivered from early 2016, it says, adding that the deal includes five options.

 

Sourve: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/...rica-using.html