“We want to revive the old DNA of AirAsia," Riad said.
KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Aviation Group Ltd is aggressively looking to lease more aircraft as it ramps up its strategic plans in anticipation of incoming tourists next year.
AirAsia Malaysia chief executive officer Riad Asmat said the airline has put in an order book for aircraft that will come in stages and over a period of time.
“This is part and parcel of our plans to expand.
“Currently, we’re utilising about 80% or 85% of our aircraft and we still have units that need to go through checks after not being used due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” he told reporters during AirAsia’s celebration of the visa-free entry from India to Malaysia here, yesterday.
Riad said, however, that the airline is not concerned over its capacity constraints because it has the capabilities and will only need to reestablish grounds.
“We want to revive the old DNA of AirAsia again that went into suspension during the pandemic and will focus on getting it up and running,” he said.
In line with this, the airline announced that it will be opening up new routes to India, starting with Thiruvananthapuram on Feb 21, 2024.
Riad said AirAsia flies to eight different states in India and hopes to increase it to 15 by the first half of next year.
“We are doing this because there has been exponential growth of Indian tourists to Malaysia and the demand is there.
“India has always been one of our more important markets and we are committed to connectivity there,” he said.
This decision was recently bolstered by the Malaysian government’s decision to allow visa-free entry for tourists from India and China.
Riad said he applauded the government for this because tourists now can travel to Malaysia in a more seamless way, with much less hassle especially to apply for visas and wait for approvals.
“Now, tourists can just purchase flight tickets and fly.
“They will need to fill some forms but our team has been on the ground to speak to some of the tourists and they all agreed about how convenient and easy it is to enter Malaysia,” he said, adding that the visa-free entry was complimentary to its business as an aviation group.
“The 30-day visa-free entry for Indian citizens to Malaysia is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the year for us at AirAsia.
“We have always strived to enhance the regional connectivity between India and Malaysia ever since we launched our very first route to India in 2008,” he said.
On traffic rights, Riad said the airline welcomes more from the government of India to be able to fly into more locations in the future.
“Like any other country, we are limited by what traffic rights are given to us. But if we are given more, we will commit.
“Our focus has always been affordability and connectivity, even with the limitations we have faced in the last 15 years of flying to India.
“We have seen so much growth potential, so now it is even better,” he said.
Meanwhile, the airline will offer special rates to Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Kochi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram for only RM189 all-in one-way.
“As we look to end 2023 on a high note and usher in the new year with promising beginning for the travel sector, we are certain that this recent initiative will allow for more Indian travellers to visit Malaysia.
“We look forward to working closely with the government and other stakeholders to further pivot Malaysia’s tourism scene to its fullest potential.”
