A new airline offering cheap flights from the UK to Malaysia has taken off today (March 11).
AirAsiaX, a subsidiary of Malaysian no-frills carrier Air Asia, is operating five flights a week to Kuala Lumpur from London Stansted.
The no-frills carrier offers return tickets to the Malay capital for under £200 – including taxes. Everything else, including food and water on a 12-hour flight has to be paid for, with meals costing between £5 and £7.50.
AIrAsiaX arrives on the scene during one of the most turbulent periods in aviation history. Over 20 airlines have gone bust during the last year, including Oasis, a carrier which tried to crack the London to Hong Kong market by offering cheap fares.
Tony Fernandes, the Malaysian entrepreneur behind the project, is confident his airline is unlikely to suffer the same fate because it will be part of an established no-frills brand with routes across the Far East and Australia.
He said: "We have 86 aircraft and are already carrying 20 million passengers a year in Asia. This means we can undercut existing operators on some of the most profitable routes, such as London to Perth (via Kuala Lumpur).”
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