Airport News Japan

AirAsia: 4 Weekly Flights on Kansai-Kuala Lumpur Route - 6th LCC at KIX

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Completion image of LCC terminal at Kansai International Airport.

In the late-night hours of November 30, long-haul carrier AirAsia X, a low-cost carrier (LCC) that is part of Malaysia-based AirAsia Berhad, initiated service on a route connecting Kansai International Airport in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture with Kuala Lumpur.

The new route, announced by AirAsia in August, will be the airline's second to Japan following the Haneda-Kuala Lumpur route it opened in December 2010. An Airbus A330-300 with seating for 377 passengers will fly the route every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

AirAsia X, the largest LCC in Asia, is offering rock-bottom fares on all routes. The new Kansai route has attracted a large amount of media coverage for one-way fares as cheap as JPY 3,931.

There are already five LCCs serving Kansai Airport from countries such as South Korea and Australia. AirAsia X will be the sixth, to be followed by two more from Japan and abroad kicking off their own service in 2012. Kansai Airport will then handle more LCCs than any other airport in Japan, which is why it is now constructing Japan's first LCC-only terminal, slated to open in the fall of 2012.

In July, AirAsia and All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. (ANA) announced a joint venture to create a new airline, AirAsia Japan Co., Ltd., which will be based at Narita Airport and will leverage the major Asian LCC's brand to grow its business in the Japanese market.

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