Malaysia's long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X said yesterday that it will launch inaugural flights to China and Australia next month with the arrival of its first A330 aircraft.
It also unveiled plans to purchase 20 long-haul aircraft from either Boeing or Airbus to service future routes to Europe.
"We are excited with the arrival of the A330-300 aircraft. We plan to fly to China and Australia late October," AirAsia X chief executive officer Azran Osman-Rani said.
PHOTO: AP
"The plane will alternate between China and Australia. We plan to have at least five flights to China a week and four a week to Australia's Gold Coast," he said.
Azran said landing rights to both destinations had been secured and the airline was now waiting for Malaysian regulators to certify the plane.
The ambitious budget carrier, which has ordered 15 new Airbus A330 aircraft for medium-haul routes, due to begin delivery from next September, also plans to acquire another two leased A340s in the middle of next year.
"This will allow us to fly to London or Manchester, whichever airport imposes lower airport charges," Azran said.
AirAsia X routes will eventually extend to China, Europe, Japan and the Middle East, with fares on average 50 percent lower than full-service carriers, he said.
The airline's founder, Tony Fernandes, said AirAsia X is also eyeing the purchase of some 20 Boeing 787s, or Airbus 350s -- which are still on the drawing board -- for its long-haul routes.
"787 is real. I'm going to Seattle to talk with the Boeing CEO next week," he told reporters.
"Sure, we would be foolish not to talk to Boeing. But the 350 is an obvious choice. The Airbus has an advantage but the question is, when can we get the planes," he said.
In related news, US aircraft maker Boeing said yesterday that China, the world's fastest growing aviation market, will need 3,400 new airplanes worth about US$340 billion over the next 20 years.
The forecast marks a dramatic increase from an earlier prediction by Boeing of 2,900 aircraft in the period from 2005 to 2025.
Strong growth in both passenger and cargo transport will nearly quadruple China's fleet to 4,460 planes by the end of 2026, making it the largest market outside the US for new commercial aircraft, it said.
Following the anticipated surge in passenger traffic for next year's Beijing Olympic Games, China's domestic market will grow nearly five-fold by 2026 to become slightly larger than today's intra-North American market, it said.
Air travel growth between China and North America as well as between China and Europe will more than double in size during the next 20 years, the company said in a statement.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique