AirAsia secures second European route

AirAsia, the low-cost, long-haul airline, which launched services to the UK earlier this year, has announced that it will soon be flying to Paris following permission granted by the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, for the airline to land at Orly Airport in southern Paris.

AirAsia already flies daily between Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and London, and Paris will be the airline's latest move to expand operations in Europe. The Malaysian Prime Minister, Dato' Sri Najib Tun Abdul Razak, is said to have played an instrumental role in persuading the French Government to grant the airline permission to fly to the country's capital city.

Azran Osman-Rani, AirAsia X CEO, said: "The Paris-Kuala Lumpur route is part of our long-term strategy to open up affordable access between Malaysia and Europe for both ASEAN and European communities. AirAsia has an incredible route network of over 100 destinations, and with our consistently low-fares, we plan to create an opportunity for Parisians and Europeans to easily explore the ASEAN region."

AirAsia Group CEO Tony said, "The breakthrough in Paris will greatly enhance our reach in the continent and further strengthen the position of Kuala Lumpur as Asia's major aviation hub and the gateway to Asia."

AirAsia, which flies to over a 100 routes in Asia and Australia and plans to commence its first route to the Middle East next month, was awarded the title of the World's Best Low-Cost Carrier in a Skytrax survey of over 16 million air travellers earlier this year.