AirAsia, which claims to be the leading and largest low fare airline in Asia, is to fly to Shenzhen from two of its hubs, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Bangkok (Thailand). The airline is set to commence both of its inaugural daily flights on Sunday 15 July 2007. In respect of China, AirAsia serves Macau from Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu and Bangkok, and also Xiamen from Bangkok.
Shenzhen, which is located in the southern part of Guangdong province, has been the fastest growing city in China for the past 30 years. It is famous for its coastal views, theme parks, historical attractions and world-class golf courses. Thais and Malaysians ranked 5th and 6th in terms of the top visitor arrivals in 2006.
AirAsia executive vice-president ” commercial, Kathleen Tan, said: ”As the biggest low cost airline in Asia, the penetration to Shenzhen means a lot us. It is also noteworthy that Shenzhen is the 4th busiest airport in China and this will allow us to tap into passenger traffic and facilitate travellers to other ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] destinations that we fly to. We are very confident that this route will open more opportunities to enhance both of our hubs with greater international links in the region, especially with Shenzhen being the gateway to Southern China and Hong Kong.”
Originally established in 2001, AirAsia currently has 34 Boeing 737-300 and 20 Airbus A320s. A total of 130 Airbus A320 series aircraft have been ordered, some as replacements for the Boeing fleet. The airline has long-haul ambitions and has placed a firm order for ten Airbus A330-300 aircraft, with options for a further five.