AirAsia Expands Routes to China and India Following Visa Relaxation

In response to eased visa entry requirements, AirAsia is set to launch new routes from Malaysia to various destinations in mainland China and India. This development comes as Malaysia began offering visa-free entry to citizens of China, India, and several Middle Eastern nations since December, allowing a 30-day stay. This initiative, announced by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, is aimed at enhancing inbound tourism from two of the country’s largest tourist sources.

Simultaneously, China has initiated a trial of visa-free travel for Malaysian citizens through November 30, 2024, also extending this benefit to travelers from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain for up to 15 days.

AirAsia’s response to these diplomatic changes includes introducing a new service from Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah state in northern Borneo, to Shanghai. This route, commencing on February 20 with three weekly flights using Airbus A320neo aircraft, adds to Kota Kinabalu’s connections to mainland China, which already include Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and Wuhan.

Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group, highlighted the significant opportunity to boost tourism between China and Malaysia, emphasizing AirAsia’s role as a major foreign low-cost carrier in China. With this expansion, AirAsia will offer 19 routes to China from Malaysia, totaling 162 weekly flights from February 2024.

In addition to the Shanghai service, AirAsia will also begin flights to Jaipur, India, from Kuala Lumpur. The inaugural flight is scheduled for April 21, operating four times a week. Jaipur will be the seventh Indian destination served by AirAsia from Malaysia, joining Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Tiruchchirappalli.

AirAsia’s expansion into the Kota Kinabalu-Shanghai market will see competition with Shanghai Airlines, which currently offers daily services using Boeing 737-500 equipment. AirAsia will also become the sole operator on the Kuala Lumpur-Jaipur route, previously served by AirAsia X before the COVID-19 crisis.

This network growth follows AirAsia X’s recent move to acquire all of AirAsia’s short-haul Air Operator Certificates (AOCs) from parent company Capital A, aiming to consolidate the group’s long- and short-haul operations under the AirAsia brand.

As of January 2024, AirAsia is the largest operator in the Malaysian market, holding a 37.1% seat capacity share on routes within the country. This expansion, coupled with the recent visa changes, positions AirAsia for significant growth in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in markets like China and India with high travel demand. Additionally, the upcoming Routes Asia 2024 event in Langkawi next month is set to further spotlight the aviation market dynamics in the region.