AirAsia X set to make Osaka as hub for US flights

Long-haul low-cost carrier AirAsia X is set to make Kansai International Airport (KIX) here as its hub for flights to the United States (US) following the success of its first route into the US, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Chief Executive Officer Benyamin Ismail said, bookings have shown a remarkable 86 percent load factor up till October this year, exceeding their expectation and stressed that it is important to remain consistent as such until October 2018.

“This is just the beginning. If the demand is high into Honolulu, we might even consider introducing more routes to the west coast of America including Los Angeles and San Francisco.

“The aim is to make Kansai as our international hub into the US,” he said to local and international press while in transit during AirAsia X’s Osaka – Honolulu D7 001 inaugural flight ribbon cutting ceremony at KIX on Wednesday.

Benyamin added that as AirAsia X finally set its footprint into the US, the next steps only includes formality such as gaining Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) approval when introducing more destinations in the US.

Also present at the ceremony here was, AirAsia X Chairperson Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz.

Flight D7 001 on Wednesday carrying guests, members of the Malaysian media and AirAsia X management was in transit at KIX from Kuala Lumpur and is expected to arrive at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Honolulu eight hours later.

AirAsia X flies four times weekly from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for Honolulu, Hawaii via Osaka, Japan.