Air Transport

Malaysian long-haul low-cost carrier AirAsia X plans to increase its weekly Kuala Lumpur-Melbourne services to 11 from seven effective 1 December.

AirAsia X has 33% share of the KL-Melbourne route, the airline says. It hopes to increase its share by tapping into first-time leisure travellers in Southeast Asia, it adds.

The airline will use Airbus A330-300 aircraft for the 11-times-weekly service, it adds. AirAsia X will receive three additional A330-300s later this year, one each in September, November, and December.

"Despite the difficult economic climate, the Melbourne route continued to show strong growth for AirAsia," says AirAsia X CEO, Azran Osman-Rani. "The KL-Melbourne route has been particularly popular for us, with AirAsia carrying almost 100,000 passengers since we first touched down in Melbourne on November 12 last year. The route shows no sign of weakening with strong forward bookings."

According to Flight's ACAS database, AirAsia X three A330-300s and two A340-300s. It has 33 aircraft on order: 23 A330-300s and 10 A350-900s, it adds.