AirAsia X Celebrates 1st Flight to Tokyo

AirAsia X Celebrates 1st Flight to Tokyo
Inaugural launch all-in fare from as low as RM249* from Malaysia to Japan

TOKYO, 10 December 2010- The Malaysian based World’s Best Low-Cost Airline, AirAsia X landed at Haneda International airport yesterday, recording over 95% passenger load on the Airbus A330 at 22:30, marking its first flight into Tokyo, Japan.

AirAsia X will offer the people of Malaysia and Asean and its surrounding region three times weekly flights to Tokyo, Japan the gateway to East Asia and beyond. With the commencement of flights to Kuala Lumpur from Tokyo, guests may hop on to the AirAsia X network onward to Australia, Taiwan, China, India and Europe or within the AirAsia short haul network across ASEAN and beyond.

In celebration of the first flight into Tokyo, AirAsia X unveiled yet another low fare offering; an unbelievable promotional all-in fare from as low as RM249* from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo for the booking period from 11 to 13 December, 2010 (Booking time: 00:00 Malaysia and 01:00 Japan on 11th December, 2010) for the travel period between 1 August to 31 October, 2011.

Promotional seats are limited and available on first-come, first-served basis and made exclusively available online via www.airasia.com.

AirAsia X Chairman Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun said, “Japan is crucial to AirAsia’s expansion plan towards becoming a major player in connecting the greater Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) region to East Asia. Malaysia is set to contribute towards enhancing bilateral ties between Asean and Tokyo, Japan; a metropolis city which would remain an important trading and economic partner for Malaysia and the Asean region. The Kuala Lumpur-Tokyo route will not only benefit tourism, but also further enhance business and economic ties between the region and Japan.”

Kamarudin, who is also Deputy Group CEO of AirAsia said, “AirAsia has an unmatched route connectivity within the ASEAN region. AirAsia X connects travellers to destinations in northern China, northern India, Australia, Taiwan, South Korea and Europe. And the list is growing. It is an amazing feat when you consider that AirAsia X is just over three years old. AirAsia and AirAsia X will continue to feed each other’s network and further provide opportunities for everyone to fly to destinations of their dreams with its unbelievable low fares and seamless connectivity.”

Guests flying on this new route will have the chance to experience the new comfortable ‘Premium FlatBed seats’ on the brand new A330 aircraft. The flatbed seats are standard business class specifications of 20” width, 60” pitch and stretches out to 77” in full recline position. The seats feature universal power sockets, adjustable headrests and built-in personal utilities such as tray table, drink holder, reading light and privacy screen. This new improvement offers unmatched comfort to the guests and position AirAsia as the market leader, further bolstering the brand as the epitome of innovation and excellence.

Azran Osman-Rani, Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia X, said “The airline is thrilled to have successfully expanded its growing network to Japan. Demand has been incredibly strong considering how new we are in the market and our strong forward passenger loads indicate a lot of pent up demand for the route. We look forward to be allowed to fly more regularly to Tokyo from three times weekly to daily flights to provide more convenience and choice to our guests.

We anticipate over 80% passenger load within the first year of our operations and look forward to hit the new untapped markets in Tokyo and its surrounding regions to fly to Malaysia and South East Asia and beyond. Guests from Malaysia and ASEAN may now travel to Haneda, Tokyo and connect domestically in Haneda to Honshu-Mount Fuji, Hokkaido, and many interesting places alike. From a leisure holiday to the adventurous mountain climbing and ski-ing, to a family day out in Tokyo Disneyland; Japan has an array of interesting places to visit.”

Mr. Azran Osman-Rani concluded that “The arrival of AirAsia X into Tokyo, Japan was the culmination of a collaborative effort between the airline, the Japan and Malaysian Government, Haneda Airport and tourism industry and was pleased with the endeavor shown to make the introduction of the service a success.”

Tokyo, being the Japanese capital, will defy your imagination with its high-energy pace and sci-fi-like architecture. There’s no shortage of places to visit: trendy boutiques, art galleries and museums are easily found. But don’t let your eyes remain at street level as your scour the city for excitement – look up and let yourself be mesmerised by the many iconic buildings here, all featuring inspiring levels of sophistication. As the sun sets, make your way to Shinjuku and Shibuya, where a fantastic night out is guaranteed. If traditional culture is your thing, you’ll want to visit cities such as Kyoto and Nara that are well-known for temples, shrines, tea ceremonies, geishas and kabuki (traditional stylised dance-drama). For the adventurous travelers and scenic lovers, fall under the spell of its majestic mountains, most notably Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan or try taking a communal hot spring bath in Kyushu and Hokkaido. Say hello to futuristic cities, ancient temples, mist-shrouded mountains, lightning-fast bullet trains and kimono-clad geishas – the wonders of Japan beckons!

AirAsia is also offering great hotel rates and personalized travel packages under AirAsiaGo, its one stop travel portal at www.airasiago.com. Guests can obtain greater savings and more value for money on their accommodation in addition to the low fares that AirAsia X offers. Currently, AirAsiaGo has a wide range of over 70,000 hotel partners globally and over 5,000 activities and tours to cater to every traveler’s budget.

Never miss out on updates and promo deals by following AirAsia via Facebook (facebook.com/AirAsia) and Twitter (twitter.com/AirAsia).

*All in Fare includes airport tax. .
Flights and fares are subject to availability and are for one way travel only.

FLIGHT SCHEDULE FOR KUALA LUMPUR- TOKYO, JAPAN
Flights From
Departure/ Arrival
Flight No.
Frequency
Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo (Haneda)
14:40/22:30
D7 2652
Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
Tokyo (Haneda) to Kuala Lumpur
23:45/06:30
D7 2653
Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday