AIRASIA X Sdn, partly owned by Southeast Asia's biggest discount airline, may start flights to Japan next year as it tries to lure customers from Japan Airlines Corp and All Nippon Airways Co.
The airline was negotiating to fly to airports including Tokyo's Haneda, Tony Fernandes, chief executive officer of AirAsia Bhd, said yesterday in Tokyo.
AirAsia has added new routes and boosted capacity even as rivals including Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd and Korean Air Lines Co cut flights, Bloomberg News reported. The airline was negotiating for discounts on landing fees from airports to help reduce its costs, Fernandes said. "We typically offer fares 50 percent to 60 percent lower than rivals," Fernandes said. "The airport will benefit from passengers shopping and eating."
The airline was also considering flights from Kuala Lumpur to Osaka, Nagoya, Kita-Kyushu and Sapporo. "We're in discussions with at least half a dozen airports," said Azran Osman Rani, AirAsia X chief executive.