KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia X (AAX), the mid-range airline affiliate of AirAsia Aviation Group, is re-launching direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Busan, South Korea, with three weekly flights, starting in early 2023.

In a statement today, AAX said this will be its second route to South Korea after launching flights to Seoul in April this year.

In addition to relaunching the route, AAX also signed a memorandum of understanding with Busan Tourism Organisation (BTO) to develop joint sales and marketing campaigns, leverage travel agents support, strengthen flight connectivity and foster both countries' economies through tourism.

AAX chief executive officer Benyamin Ismail said South Korean is an important market and there are tremendous growth from the low cost carrier's existing route to Seoul with around 80 per cent average load factor.

"Starting with three weekly services and based on strong forecast demand, we expect the flight frequency to Busan to return to daily services by year-end.

"We believe the relaunch of the Busan route will provide a significant boost to strengthen business and tourism ties between Malaysia and South Korea, and we wish to thank the governments and relevant authorities for their tremendous support," he said.

Benyamin said that in 2019, AAX flew about 200,000 guests to/from Busan.

"As we look to further increase the connectivity to South Korea, we trust that our direct flights to Busan will provide a welcome boost for tourism and the economy in both countries.

"The new route also reflects our commitment to continuously offer our guests great value mid-range air travel and we look forward to seeing a surge in tourist arrivals into/from Busan in the near future," he added.

BTO president Jung-Sil Lee said the relaunch of AAX direct flights to Busan marked a major milestone in the resumption of services to the city.

"We believe travellers will appreciate the direct and affordable connection, making Busan a top holiday destination once again," he said.

-- BERNAMA