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