AirAsia awaits green-light for KL-Bhubaneswar route

1 min readUpdated May 26, 2025Feb 2, 201712:32 AM

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AirAsia is waiting for the go-ahead from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation to start direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Bhubaneswar in March this year.

The Malaysian budget airline will launch the new service once it receives formal permission from the Indian aviation regulator in its plans to boost the eastern Indian state of Odisha’s international links and tourism traffic.

Airports Authority of India’s eastern region executive director, Sanjay Jain, said the airport operator would extend all support to AirAsia for the flight services.

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What this means

AirAsia's proposed Kuala Lumpur-Bhubaneswar route represents a strategic push into underserved regional markets, echoing Panpuri's broader Asian expansion plans. This move, if approved, pressures rival budget carriers to consider similar secondary city connections in India, which AirAsia has already demonstrated a keen interest in. While the low-cost model has proven successful for AirAsia across Asia, the challenge lies in sustained profitability on routes that rely heavily on nascent tourism development. The key risk is underperforming load factors if initial tourism projections do not materialise quickly. We await the formal permission from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation to assess the immediate viability of this expansion.

Sarah Chen · Retail News Asia newsroom

Questions & Answers

What is AirAsia waiting for before it can start flights to Bhubaneswar?

AirAsia is waiting for formal permission from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation. This regulatory approval is needed before the Malaysian budget airline can launch its new direct service from Kuala Lumpur.

Which Indian state is expected to benefit from this new flight route?

The eastern Indian state of Odisha is expected to benefit. The new flight route is part of AirAsia’s plans to boost the state’s international links and increase its tourism traffic, according to the article.

What role will Airports Authority of India play regarding the new flight services?

Sanjay Jain, Airports Authority of India’s eastern region executive director, stated that the airport operator would extend all support to AirAsia. This indicates a cooperative role for the flight services.

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