Upcoming Launches of AirAsia : New Destinations Across India

Malaysia-based Low-Cost Carrier – AirAsia is all set to expand its footprint in the India market. From December 2023, the Government of Malaysia has allowed visa-free entry for Indian travelers. Following this, the number of passengers traveling between both countries has rapidly increased. Airlines like Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia have capitalized on this demand.

Within the next two months, AirAsia will launch several Indian destinations. In this article, we will look at all those Indian destinations, where AirAsia will begin its operations.

AirAsia: Expansion in North India

The Low-Cost Long-Haul subsidiary of AirAsia operates to two cities in North India: Delhi and Amritsar. Within the next two months, AirAsia Group will increase its presence in North India from two cities to four.

AirAsia will be launching non-stop flights from Kuala Lumpur to Jaipur and Ahmedabad. Flights to Jaipur are expected to begin from April 21, 2024. These flights will be operated four times a week. Flights will be operational on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The airline will be deploying its flagship Airbus A320 fleet on this route.

Talking about Ahmedabad flights, the airline will launch this service from 1 May. Similar to Jaipur flights, this service will also operate four times a week on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, utilizing the Airbus A320. Here is a quick look at the timings of both Jaipur and Ahmedabad flights.

AirAsia will be the first and only airline to operate flights between Malaysia and Jaipur. On the other hand, Malaysia Airlines already has significant presence on Ahmedabad route. The airline operates four times a week with the Boeing 737 aircraft.

Bhubaneswar & Vizag Flights Incoming

Other than focusing on North India expansion, the airline has plans to expand in Eastern India as well. From April 26, it will be launching thrice weekly flights between Kuala Lumpur and Visakhapatnam. This service will be operational on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. As expected, the Airbus A320 will be deployed on this route as well.

Amid this expansion, Bhubaneswar will get its first independent international connection. As of now, the city is connected to three international destinations: Dubai, Singapore, and Bangkok. All these flights are operated by IndiGo under the International Air Connectivity Scheme (IACS), where the State Government provides the airline with Viability Gap Funding for certain number of seats.

Now that AirAsia is resuming its Kuala Lumpur service, this will be the only non-subsidized international connection from Bhubaneswar. The airline will operate three times a week on this route. From 28 May, flights will be operational on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Here is a quick look at timings of these flights:

Other than flights to these four destinations, AirAsia also has flying rights to connect Kuala Lumpur to Kozhikode and Guwahati. According to a report from Mathrubhumi English, bookings for Kozhikode flights is expected to start from April month. AirAsia has secured the required slots for operations. Flight service expected to commence from May month. While the airline has planned Kozhikode flights to operate three times a week, Guwahati flights will be operated four times a week.

Guwahati will be the only airport in the Northeast region to be connected non-stop with Malaysia. Hence, there will an ample demand.

AirAsia: Huge Expansion Plans for India

In February, AirAsia launched non-stop flights connecting Kuala Lumpur to Trivandrum.

The Indian market currently constitutes to 18 percent of the revenue of the Malaysian Low Cost Carrier. The whole group, including AirAsia Berhad, AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia currently operates to 14 Indian cities. By the end of this financial year, AirAsia aims to increase this number to 20. Once the above stated flights become active, the airline to eyeing to enter the Patna market as well.

AirAsia sees an ample in South Indian cities like Madurai and Coimbatore. But a major issue is that these cities are not included in Points Of Call (POC) for Malaysian carriers. As a result, they are not allowed to operate to these cities. Hence, because of bilateral restrictions, the airline’s expansion will finally come to a halt.

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