AirAsia’s group CEO Tony Fernandes, has been quick to dismiss moves by Firefly, the budget airline wholly owned by Malaysia Airlines, to expand domestically, going up against AirAsia, and internationally..
“We are beyond worrying about what legacy airlines do. AirAsia has grown and will continue to grow positively due to a disciplined focus on cost and the short-haul single class model,” he told local media.
Firefly, which began operations in 2007, will take delivery of 30 Boeing 737-800 aircraft from this year to 2015.
It will fly out of the KL International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang while maintaining its base in Subang with its fleet of seven ATR 72-500 aircraft.
Eddy Leong, Firefly’s managing director, said this phase of expansion “involves bringing into service a total of 30 aircraft, which will allow for an aggressive growth rate in our route network.
“In 2011 alone we will operate six Boeing 737-800s.”
He declined to reveal the new destinations Firefly intends to fly to, citing traffic rights approval, but said they would all be destinations within the ASEAN region.
by Corinne Wan/Web in Travel
