AirAsia’s direct Penang-Hong Kong flights, Kota Kinabalu-Brunei service soon

AirAsia, the budget airline based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, plans to launch flights between the Malaysian island of Penang and Hong Kong in China from July 31, 2009. The planned Penang-Hong Kong flight will be AirAsia’s 6th international service originating from Penang, after Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore, Medan (Indonesia), Jakarta (Indonesia), Macau (China), and its 3rd international service from Hong Kong, after Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

AirAsia has said, in a statement, that it was setting up Penang as its 8th hub, after Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru, Bandung, Jakarta, Bali and Bangkok as well as a ‘virtual hub’ in Singapore.

Kathleen Tan, AirAsia regional head of commercial operations, said that the carrier was offering a promotional, all-in-fare of RM99 on the new Penang-Hong Kong route.

This one-way fare, available for booking between July 7, 2009, and July 12, 2009, is for travel between July 31, 2009, and April 30, 2010.

With the declaration of George Town in Penang as UNESCO’s World Heritage Site, the city of Penang will attract more visitors, according to Kathleen Tan.

AirAsia, she added, was considering starting new flights to Shenzhen and Guangzhou (both in China), from Penang.

Meanwhile, AirAsia is continuing to expand its connectivity to eastern Malaysia by starting another international route from Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia to Brunei on September 9, 2009.

The Kota Kinabalu-Brunei service will be AirAsia’s 6th international service from Kota Kinabalu and the 2nd international service from Brunei.

The airline is offering a promotional, all-in-fare from 29 ringgit one-way on the Kota Kinabalu-Brunei route.

Kota Kinabalu, which is AirAsia’s second and largest hub after Kuala Lumpur, serves 9 domestic routes (including Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru, Kuching, Sibu, Labuan, Miri, Sandakan and Tawau) as well as the international sectors (Macau, Shenzhen, Singapore and Jakarta.)

In another development, AirAsia said it was planning to park more planes – 10 planes in all – at the Penang International Airport, as a part of its efforts at making the island its 8th hub.