AirAsia met Japan gov: ready to take-over JAL co.?, KL-TOKYO: only ¥10,000=RM379 per flight? 
Jan 24 2010, 01:59 AM, updated 16y ago
QUOTE
FOCUS: Malaysia's budget AirAsia set to stir Japan's travel scene
SEPANG, Malaysia, Jan. 23 KYODO
Malaysia's fast-growing long-haul budget airline AirAsia X plans to extend its low-cost service to Japan, possibly by the second half of this year.
AirAsia X's Chief Executive Officer Azran Osman Rani told Kyodo News in an interview that six Japanese cabin crew members are already undergoing training at AirAsia Academy in Sepang, where the AirAsia group headquarters is located.
AirAsia X, which was launched in January 2007, is an affiliate of Southeast Asia's pioneer short-haul budget carrier AirAsia, sharing common shareholders including founder and group CEO Tony Fernandes.
Extending the success of its short-haul operation to long-haul flights is no mean feat but as Azran proudly pointed out, AirAsia X has grown from a fleet of just three aircraft flying to four destinations in January 2009 to eight planes serving nine destinations in one year.
According to Azran, the Japanese travel market has been a key focus for AirAsia X but the airline has been facing regulatory hurdles, which it appears to be clearing.
Azran said the question now is ''more a commercial decision'' as to which airport in the Tokyo area the airline may serve.
Apart from Tokyo, AirAsia X has plans to fly to two other Japanese destinations -- either Fukuoka or Osaka in western Japan, and Sapporo in the north.
In serving the Tokyo market, Azran said the airline hopes to fly to Haneda airport instead of Narita airport, but the decision lies with the Malaysian government.
''They (the Japanese government) have given an allocation for Haneda to Malaysia but the Malaysian government has not decided which airline will get the rights to Haneda. We have applied. We think we should get it because Malaysia Airlines is already flying to Narita,'' Azran said, referring to the state-owned full-service carrier.
The yet-to-open Ibaraki airport, which is farther away than Narita from downtown Tokyo, is the last option.
''The bottom line is, we don't want to be the guinea pig. We will closely study whether Tokyo residents will accept using Ibaraki,'' Azran said.
AirAsia X is apparently undaunted by the slew of bad news about Japan's stagnant economy and its ailing aviation industry, as the airline appears to enjoy challenging industry norms.
While the world's aviation business has been focusing on the growing markets in China and India, Azran believes the travel market in Japan, despite its economic malaise amid an aging and stagnant population, has yet to be fully tapped.
''When I look at Japan, I see, yes, the population may not be growing but it is still a big market. It has a population of 120 million to 130 million. Out of that, if you take the young people in the age group of 16 to 40, in absolute numbers, the market is quite big,'' he said.
And Azran wants to revolutionize how Japanese people travel -- no more traveling in groups, or buying tickets from travel agencies, or as Azran put it, ''follow the flag'' type of travelers.
He wants young Japanese to regard overseas travel as a popular culture, like in Southeast Asia where a quick weekend getaway to, say, Bangkok, Singapore or Bali has become a norm due to the availability of cheap flights.
''This has not taken off in Japan because (travel) is still very expensive...If I can offer promotional prices cheaper than your cost of a taxi ride from Tokyo to Narita, then people would say 'oh, yes! Ten thousand yen to Kuala Lumpur, that would be very exciting.' So that's the opportunity we see,'' he said.
Azran believes AirAsia X can really offer 10,000 yen (about $110) promotional flights from Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur, as the airline is touted as the ''world's lowest unit-cost airline operator.'' The normal fare would still be 40 to 50 percent cheaper than a full-service airline.
For 2009 AirAsia X's unit cost is 2.7 U.S. cents per seat-kilometer including fuel, compared with about 5.8 cents at Singapore Airlines, according to Azran.
The carrier also bucked the trend in 2009. When major airlines in the world were bleeding financially and were grounding planes, cutting routes and jobs, AirAsia X expanded, multiplying its fleet from three aircraft to eight.
AirAsia X's future target is to have 35 planes flying to 25 cities in six core markets -- Australia, China, India, the Middle East, South Korea and Japan.
For the financial year 2009, Azran said his company is expected to post a ''modest profit'' for the first time despite a ''very difficult year.''
==Kyodo
SEPANG, Malaysia, Jan. 23 KYODO
Malaysia's fast-growing long-haul budget airline AirAsia X plans to extend its low-cost service to Japan, possibly by the second half of this year.
AirAsia X's Chief Executive Officer Azran Osman Rani told Kyodo News in an interview that six Japanese cabin crew members are already undergoing training at AirAsia Academy in Sepang, where the AirAsia group headquarters is located.
AirAsia X, which was launched in January 2007, is an affiliate of Southeast Asia's pioneer short-haul budget carrier AirAsia, sharing common shareholders including founder and group CEO Tony Fernandes.
Extending the success of its short-haul operation to long-haul flights is no mean feat but as Azran proudly pointed out, AirAsia X has grown from a fleet of just three aircraft flying to four destinations in January 2009 to eight planes serving nine destinations in one year.
According to Azran, the Japanese travel market has been a key focus for AirAsia X but the airline has been facing regulatory hurdles, which it appears to be clearing.
Azran said the question now is ''more a commercial decision'' as to which airport in the Tokyo area the airline may serve.
Apart from Tokyo, AirAsia X has plans to fly to two other Japanese destinations -- either Fukuoka or Osaka in western Japan, and Sapporo in the north.
In serving the Tokyo market, Azran said the airline hopes to fly to Haneda airport instead of Narita airport, but the decision lies with the Malaysian government.
''They (the Japanese government) have given an allocation for Haneda to Malaysia but the Malaysian government has not decided which airline will get the rights to Haneda. We have applied. We think we should get it because Malaysia Airlines is already flying to Narita,'' Azran said, referring to the state-owned full-service carrier.
The yet-to-open Ibaraki airport, which is farther away than Narita from downtown Tokyo, is the last option.
''The bottom line is, we don't want to be the guinea pig. We will closely study whether Tokyo residents will accept using Ibaraki,'' Azran said.
AirAsia X is apparently undaunted by the slew of bad news about Japan's stagnant economy and its ailing aviation industry, as the airline appears to enjoy challenging industry norms.
While the world's aviation business has been focusing on the growing markets in China and India, Azran believes the travel market in Japan, despite its economic malaise amid an aging and stagnant population, has yet to be fully tapped.
''When I look at Japan, I see, yes, the population may not be growing but it is still a big market. It has a population of 120 million to 130 million. Out of that, if you take the young people in the age group of 16 to 40, in absolute numbers, the market is quite big,'' he said.
And Azran wants to revolutionize how Japanese people travel -- no more traveling in groups, or buying tickets from travel agencies, or as Azran put it, ''follow the flag'' type of travelers.
He wants young Japanese to regard overseas travel as a popular culture, like in Southeast Asia where a quick weekend getaway to, say, Bangkok, Singapore or Bali has become a norm due to the availability of cheap flights.
''This has not taken off in Japan because (travel) is still very expensive...If I can offer promotional prices cheaper than your cost of a taxi ride from Tokyo to Narita, then people would say 'oh, yes! Ten thousand yen to Kuala Lumpur, that would be very exciting.' So that's the opportunity we see,'' he said.
Azran believes AirAsia X can really offer 10,000 yen (about $110) promotional flights from Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur, as the airline is touted as the ''world's lowest unit-cost airline operator.'' The normal fare would still be 40 to 50 percent cheaper than a full-service airline.
For 2009 AirAsia X's unit cost is 2.7 U.S. cents per seat-kilometer including fuel, compared with about 5.8 cents at Singapore Airlines, according to Azran.
The carrier also bucked the trend in 2009. When major airlines in the world were bleeding financially and were grounding planes, cutting routes and jobs, AirAsia X expanded, multiplying its fleet from three aircraft to eight.
AirAsia X's future target is to have 35 planes flying to 25 cities in six core markets -- Australia, China, India, the Middle East, South Korea and Japan.
For the financial year 2009, Azran said his company is expected to post a ''modest profit'' for the first time despite a ''very difficult year.''
==Kyodo
source : http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/i...?storyid=481934
current AirAsia route in Asia.. no japan route yet..
now every teenage japanese can fly to Malaysia.. (AirAsia target teenager to ride the plane)
Aya Ueto.. my favourite japanese actress.. she act so nice
¥10,000=RM379 per flight only.......... uweeee, this is really crazy, we can expect so many japanese in Malaysia..
Morning Musume coming to Malaysia?
This post has been edited by hack3line: Jan 24 2010, 03:46 AM
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