The Malaysian holiday island of Langkawi is set to be AirAsia’s next international hub.
Announcing the news at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition, CEO Tony Fernandes said its new status as a hub will help boost both local tourism and the economy.
“We will obviously focus on ASEAN destinations and gradually expand the connectivity to China and India, which are both very strong routes. It is exciting news for the state of Kedah and exciting news for job creation as we will base pilots and cabin crew in Langkawi,” Fernandes said.
“We are very excited about this announcement. We plan to put five planes in Langkawi and generate approximately one million to 1.5 million passengers through Langkawi very quickly.”
AirAsia currently operates nearly 100 weekly flights to Langkawi on three separate routes.
It will become the sixth airport in Malaysia offering international flights after Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Johor Bahru, Penang and Kota Kinabalu.
Aireen Omar, CEO of AirAsia, said: “Today is a big day for us at AirAsia. We have been campaigning for a while now, and we are pleased to know the government and the airport are beginning to see the benefits of LCCs.”
“We have a great airport here in Langkawi but it is under-utilised,” Omar added.
Langkawi was the carrier’s first ever route when it began services back in 2001.
