News: New cheap flights to Malaysia from Stansted
Flights > News > # 1987 (28/11/2008)
A new airline promising bargain flights from the UK to Malaysia plans to take off in the new year.
AirAsiaX, a subsidiary of Malaysian no-frills carrier Air Asia, intends to launch five flights a week to Kuala Lumpur from London Stansted on March 11.
It is promising return tickets to the Malay capital for under £200 – including taxes. Everything else, including food and water on a 12-hour flight will have 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).”
He added that passengers on the Air Asia's flights from Malaysia to Australia – which can last as long as eight hours – have accepted the principle of having to pay extra for food.
"We are not denying you something you get for free on other airlines, because they really include food as part of the ticket price."
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