KUALA LUMPUR, 27 June 2023: Batik Air Malaysia will boost flights to Taiwan and Japan during the northern winter timetable from 1 November 2023 to 31 March 2024.

Formerly branded Malindo Air, the airline is home based at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

According to the airline’s advance timetable, flights from Kuala Lumpur will stop in Taipei, Taiwan, before flying to Japan – Nagoya, Osaka Kansai and Tokyo Narita. All flights use Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft configured with 12 business class seats and 150 in economy class.

In addition, the airline will start a twice-weekly service to Okinawa’s capital city of Naha on 16 August 2023, increasing to four weekly flights effective 1 November. The flight will make a stop in Taipei.

Japan: 1 November to 31 March schedule

Kuala Lumpur – Taipei Taoyuan – Nagoya three weekly.

Kuala Lumpur – Taipei Taoyuan – Okinawa four weekly.

Kuala Lumpur – Taipei Taoyuan – Osaka Kansai daily.

Kuala Lumpur – Taipei Taoyuan – Tokyo Narita daily.

Meanwhile, last month, Batik Air resumed flights to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam from Kuala Lumpur.

The airline launched six weekly direct flights from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to the Maldives last week with 121 passengers on board the 737 Max 8 aircraft. Concierge Group Maldives has been appointed GSA for ticketing sales.

On 23 June, Batik Air introduced its first flight to Seoul, Korea.

It will launch flights from Medan, Indonesia, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Chennai in India in mid-August.

It is also planning to start flights to  Auckland, New Zealand, with a stop in Perth, Australia, effective  24 August from its base in KLIA.

KUALA LUMPUR, 26 June 2023: AirAsia won the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2023 (Skytrax) held in Paris last week for an unprecedented 14th consecutive time.

As a global benchmark of airline quality and excellence, the final award results include more than 325 airlines, with AirAsia emerging on the top in its category. Over 100 nationalities of travellers participated in the online survey, with 20.23 million eligible entries counted in the results from September 2022 to May 2023, when AirAsia steadily increased its network back to over 130 destinations.

In accepting the award at a ceremony at the Paris Air Show 2023 in France last Tuesday, Capital A CEO, Tony Fernandes said: “We are immensely proud and grateful for this meaningful award given to us by the Skytrax organisers, voters, and the incredible supporters of AirAsia. Getting an award of excellence for 14 consecutive years is a remarkable achievement, one that fills our hearts with joy and humility. This is an extraordinary feat for any company in any industry, even more so for our proudly ASEAN brand.”

With 170 planes back in service across the Group, AirAsia expects to have all 204 reactivated by the end of August this year. Not only will it achieve 100% of pre-pandemic capacity in the coming months, but the airline is also looking to spread its wings even further by adding 19 new planes which will take flight this year, including four Frontier planes. 

To celebrate winning the award for the 14th time, the airline cut fares to say thank you. Thailand dropped fares to THB414 on domestic routes, but the deal expired on 25 January.

SEPANG, 26 June 2023: Aviation Group’s  AirAsia Malaysia, AirAsia Thailand, AirAsia Indonesia and AirAsia Philippines are flying high again, with 157 aircraft reactivated as of 1Q2023, according to a recent Capital A financial update to shareholders attending the AGM.

Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes told shareholders that “with enhanced profitability amid rationalised airfares and stabilising external factors”, the airline group had activated 229 routes so far with a target to operate 290 by the close of the 4th quarter of 2023.

On the airline group’s health check, he told shareholders attending the recent AGM: “2022 has truly been a defining year for Capital A for many reasons: the company generated strong revenue ofMYR2.6 billion and recorded the first full year of positive EBITDA since the beginning of the global pandemic.

All businesses within the group have benefited from the robust return of air travel and delivered stronger margin levels. As we overcame all odds of not only surviving but growing, despite the unprecedented challenges of Covid and other macroeconomic headwinds without any government support, we are proud to announce that we have successfully progressed from an airline to now a low-cost, high-value inclusive aviation and travel group.”

He confirmed ‘Move – AirAsia Digital’ has received board approval to be renamed MOVE. It will cover the business activities of AirAsia Superapp and fintech provider BigPay to provide an accessible, affordable travel app, to meet the needs of all travellers, including on-ground travellers with ride-hailing offerings on AirAsia ride.

He made the comments in a presentation at the close of the Capital A 6th Annual General Meeting earlier this month when the financial results of FY2022 were received and passed by its shareholders.

Fernandes confirmed that the group’s latest airline venture, AirAsia Cambodia, should start scheduled flights during the last quarter of 2023, possibly by mid-December, almost a year after the official launch of the new airline.

“We are expanding across ASEAN based on a wide network and a strong brand, with the launch of AirAsia Cambodia expected to start operating in Q4, we are looking for opportunities in the remaining ASEAN countries that deserve an airline,” he told the AGM.

Capital A Berhad will own 51% of AirAsia Cambodia in partnership with hospitality group Sivilai Asia which will hold the remaining share, according to a report in Laotian Times.

The joint venture agreement with Sivilai Asia was signed last December by Tony Fernandes and Vissoth Nam, director of Sivilai Asia at Rosewood Phnom Penh.

Media sources in Kuala Lumpur have reported that AirAsia Cambodia, the group’s fifth airline venture, will start flights to destinations in Asia within a four-hour flight time perimeter using A321-200 aircraft. AirAsia has not confirmed details so far, but it is understood the airline could eventually fly 15 aircraft flying to neighbouring countries from Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh.

(Source: AirAsia and Laotian Times)