AirAsia X to charge just £99 one way for its new Kuala Lumpur-London flight

AirAsia X, the long-haul budget airline based in Malaysia, will start services between Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, and London’s Stansted Airport at a price as low as £99 one way.

The carrier will start the Kuala Lumpur-Stansted service, five flights a week, in March 2009 using Airbus A340 aircraft for the 12-hour trip which will carry 286 passengers.

The no-frills flights will operate between March 11, 2009, and October 24, 2009.

AirAsia X said in a statement: “About 40% of the seats for flight between Kuala Lumpur’s international airport and London’s Stansted Airport would be priced at £99, with the average fare expected to be £150 – well below a typical rival fare of £500.

Passengers will be able to connect with low-cost flights to Hong Kong, Thailand or Australia, slashing the cost of a holiday to Asia’s popular tourist destinations.  Onward flights would cost as little as £40 to Bali in Indonesia, £98 to Hong Kong, and £248 to Melbourne in Australia, the statement added.

AirAsia X is a new, long-haul budget airline operated by AirAsia X Sdn. Bhd. (previously known as FlyAsianXpress Sdn. Bhd.). Its first service took off on  November 2, 2007 to Gold Coast in Australia from its base in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. AirAsia X franchises the brand name of AirAsia, Asia’s largest low-cost carrier, which uses a common ticketing website, livery, uniforms, and management style with AirAsia. AirAsia X is also affiliated with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, which assists in management, expertise, and infrastructure.

Tony Fernandes, chief executive of AirAsia, said in the statement that, like the European no-frills airline operators, AirAsiaX would operate a basic service, charging passengers £3 or £4 for meals and £5 for an entertainment system. Booking can be made through the website of the AirAsia.

“The Kuala Lumpur- Stansted route,” Tony Fernandes said, “is the realisation of a long-held ambition to open up affordable access between Europe and states in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). We have an incredible route network and, at £99, the opportunity for Londoners and Europeans to explore the ASEAN region has never been greater.”

The website independent.co.uk quoted Nick Barton, commercial and development director of London’s Stansted Airport, as commenting on the new service: “This is not only exciting news for Stansted Airport but also a significant milestone for low-cost, long-haul air travel around the world.”

Meanwhile, in conjunction with the launch of the Kuala Lumpur-London route, AirAsia is offering fares from Perth to Kuala Lumpur from $192 onwards, from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur from $302 onwards, and from Gold Coast (Australia) to Kuala Lumpur from $291 onwards.