AirAsia launches direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Chengdu, China

AirAsia, the world's best low cost airline continues to aggressively expand its China network by launching a new route connecting Kuala Lumpur to Chengdu, further strengthening its already vast network to China. The new service will be operated by AirAsia X, the low cost long-haul airline affiliate of AirAsia.

AirAsia is the only airline to offer direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Chengdu, which will begin on 20 October 2009 with four direct flights weekly. Attractive all-in-fares are offered from as low as RM129* (CNY338*) one-way and exclusively available online via AirAsia's website at www.airasia.com or mobile.airasia.com. Booking period is from 26^th to 30^th August 2009, for travel period between 20 October 2009 and 31^st July 2010.

Ms. Kathleen Tan, Regional Head of Commercial of AirAsia said, "AirAsia has worked hard at building and crafting a strong China route network spanning the four corners and winds of China. Amassing strongholds in the Pearl Delta of the southern region covering popular destination choices of Macau, HongKong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Guilin, Haikou and by positioning Hangzhou as our Eastern gateway into the Yangtze Delta region, and establishing Tianjin with 30 min bullet train to Beijing as the access point to the Northern belt, it would only seem natural for us to complete our conquest in all directions by casting our sights to the west."

"Our China network has remained incomplete without a presence capable of unlocking the potential of travel to the western territories of China.It is in this essence that Chengdu, capital city to Sichuan province in China with its strategic location, emerged as the natural point of unlocking the Western catchments areas and thus completing our China route integration. With Chengdu now added on to our network, AirAsia can now boast that we have mainland China covered with 160 weekly flights," she added.

"Currently, there is no direct air connectivity between Kuala Lumpur and Chengdu and the journey of simply getting there via other means can consume a whole day's worth of time. Home to the very living natural heritage of China's Pandas, Chengdu has firmly positioned itself today with a more substantial façade and reputation of also being a thriving city riding the high economic and tourism growth waves. Our guests within Asean and China will now be spoilt for choice with the establishment of our strong China network in all corners and there is simply no better way to travel than with our amazing low fares. With rapid growth and aggressive expansion in these trying times, AirAsia aims to stay true to our brand promise that now everyone can fly to the four winds of China," Kathleen said.

Home to more than 10 million people, Chengdu is located in southwest China at the western edge of the Sichuan Basin and is the gateway to the Unesco World Heritage Site "Jiuzhaigou", one of the most scenic places in China. This capital city of Sichuan province is known as one of the most important economic centers and is a major transportation and communication hub in China. Historically, it has played an important role in the political, economical, cultural, and military development of southwest China. The city is regarded as the starting point of the Southern Silk Road and is the gateway to the Tibet Autonomous Region. The surrounding region is famous for its three unique characteristics: Heavenly scenery, Bashu Culture, and home of the Giant Pandas.

Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X said, "Despite the gloomy global economy, China remains an important trading and economic partner for Malaysia and the Asean region. The launch of this new route is expected to enhance the exchange of trade and tourism, and to strengthen the economic development of Kuala Lumpur and Chengdu."

Azran added that, "AirAsia and AirAsia X's low fares and innovative services will also stimulate more travel both inbound and outbound from these two destinations. The Chinese public can also take advantage of Kuala Lumpur's status as a gateway to get across Asia, Australia and Europe."

The Kuala Lumpur - Chengdu route is serviced by our Airbus A330- 300, which holds 383 economy seats including 28 Premium seats which have an impressive 60-inch seat pitch. For more details on flight times and bookings, please visit www.airasia.com or mobile.airasia.com.

Stay tuned! Follow AirAsia on Twitter, Facebook, and AirAsia Blog where we will provide real time updates on our latest promotion.

* All fares quoted are applicable for one-way travel only.