CAPA Awards for AirAsia X, Japan Airlines, Beijing Capital International Airport

Malaysia-based AirAsia X, just one year old, has been given the coveted Best New Airline of the Year Award-2008 Award, instituted by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).

AirAsia X, the long-haul budget airline operated by AirAsia X Sdn. Bhd. (previously known as FlyAsianXpress Sdn. Bhd.), started operations on November 2, 2007, with a service to to Gold Coast in Australia from its base in Kuala Lumpur in 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 48% controlled by Aero Ventures; the Virgin Group owns a 16% share of the airline alongside Japanese leasing firm Orix Corporation and Bahrain-based Manara Consortium, which have each bought a 10% stake in AirAsia X. The parent company AirAsia has a 16% stake in AirAsia.

AirAsia, the parent company of AirAsia X, had won CAPA’s Best Airline Award in 2007.

The Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation (CAPA), founded in 1990, is a leading provider of independent aviation market intelligence, analysis and data services in the region.

In a statement, CAPA said it awarded AirAsia X for its “significant contribution to the aviation industry in the region by way of its competitive airfares, growing network and market leading product and services.”

The website bernama.com quoted Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X, as commenting on the honour: “The success of AirAsia X rides on the back of affiliate AirAsia’s leading regional network in South-east Asia and China, where passengers have access to more than 105 routes and the highest daily flight frequencies to most Asian cities. This is a significant and welcome achievement for AirAsia X.”

The fast-expanding international route network of AirAsia X now includes five destinations, including Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Hangzhou (Shanghai-China,) and Gold Coast, Perth and Melbourne (Australia). Flights between Kuala Lumpur and Perth starts on November 2, 2008, and flights between Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne begins on November 12, 2008.

AirAsia X said in a press release that it was the first airline in the Asia-Pacific region to sign up with e-commerce company PayPal for purchases of airfares and gift vouchers.

In late, 2007 AirAsia X ordered an additional 25 Airbus A330 aircraft to meet further growth, and the first of these aircraft has now been delivered.

AirAsia X said it offers 4 direct flights between Kuala Lumpur, its hub, and Gold Coast in Australia, and 5 flights a week to Hangzhou. The airline will initially service Perth (Australia) with 6 return flights a week and Melbourne (Australia) with 4 direct flights.

Meanwhile, Japan Airlines (JAL), based in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan, has won the CAPA’s Airline Turnaround of the Year-2008 Award, being presented to an airline in the region.

Japan Airlines, according to CAPA, was honoured for having made progress in the following areas:

* Fleet simplification and effective route rationalisation on international and domestic networks.
* Streamlined decision-making/improved responsiveness to the market.
* Strategic investment in product improvement and services.
* Effective use of alliances.
* Fuel conservation techniques.

The CAPA award for the New Airport Development of the Year for 2008 went to

Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA), China.

This is the first time that an airport in China has received an international prize.

According to Dong Zhiyi, general manager of Beijing International Airport Company Limited, BCIA, with 3 terminals, 3 runways and 2 control towers in full operation, ranks No. 1 in Asia.