AirAsia introduces two new routes

AirAsia introduces two new routes

KUALA LUMPUR: Southeast Asia's leading low-cost carrier AirAsia said Tuesday it will introduce two new international routes, with flights from the Malaysian capital to Chiang Mai and Phnom Penh.

The daily services to the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai will begin on Oct. 20, while daily flights to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh are to start from Nov. 1, it said.

"We are thrilled with our latest expansion to Indochina. AirAsia will be the first and only airline to offer direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Chiang Mai," said AirAsia chief executive officer Tony Fernandes.

The inclusion of Phnom Penh in AirAsia's network, which now links Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Macau, Xiamen in China and the Philippines, strengthens the airline's connections and regional presence, he said.

Fernandes said AirAsia's upcoming launch into Vietnam on October 17, with flights to Hanoi from Bangkok, signals that the airline now covers most of the major cities in Southeast Asia.

AirAsia was launched as a budget carrier in December 2001 with just two aircraft and has since become a significant regional player, with its business model increasingly imitated by national carriers and a host of new low-cost entrants. -- AFP