Food
AirAsia announced the addition of three new routes from Kuala Lumpur to the southern regions of China, further cementing its position as the largest foreign carrier serving the most populous country in the world. New services to Quanzhou and Guilin operated by AirAsia Malaysia (AK) and to Chengdu (Tianfu) operated by AirAsia X Malaysia (D7) are now added to the extensive network of 15 routes with over 129 flights weekly between China and Malaysia.
Flights to/from Quanzhou will recommence twice weekly and start operating on 18 June 2023. Flights to/from Guilin will restart thrice weekly on 18 July 2023 and flights to/from Chengdu (Tianfu) will start twice weekly on 1 July 2023 and increase to thrice weekly from 4 July 2023. Recently, AirAsia Malaysia (AK) also resumed daily services from Kota Kinabalu to Wuhan, further strengthening its position as the Malaysian carrier with the most connections and capacity in China.
AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat said: “Following the recent opening of China to the world and strong pent up demand, our rapid expansion into China continues and we are proud to connect millions of guests not only to major destinations but also to underserved second-tier cities and launch unique routes such as Quanzhou and Guilin. China remains a key market for our future growth and we will continue to review a number of other potential Chinese routes that we hope to be in a position to announce soon.”
AirAsia Malaysia (AK) will be flying 11 routes to/from China with over 118 flights weekly from Kuala Lumpur to Guilin, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Kunming, Shenzhen, Nanning, and Shantou; Kota Kinabalu to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan; and Johor Bahru to Guangzhou. AirAsia X Malaysia (D7) will be flying four routes to/from China with over 11 flights weekly from Kuala Lumpur to Chengdu (Tianfu), Beijing (Daxing), Shanghai, and Hangzhou.
Etihad Airways is set to fly to Osaka five times per week beginning 1 October 2023, connecting one of the world’s most culturally animated cities to the already extensive Etihad network. “We’re delighted to introduce flights to Osaka for the first time,” said Antonoaldo Neves, CEO of Etihad Airways. “As one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, I know visitors will enjoy exploring its heritage and sampling some of Osaka’s renowned hospitality. Equally, the new route opens up Abu Dhabi to visitors from Osaka, and we look forward to welcoming guests to our vibrant home as well as giving them access to our growing, global network.”
The introduction of this route will support the growing trade and tourism ties between the countries and add to Etihad’s existing Tokyo service by providing another route to Japan. Etihad will be flying a state-of-the art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the new route, offering guests a taste of the airline’s celebrated service, catering and onboard entertainment.
