AirAsia X’s seven-year quest to offer the only serv-ice between Malaysia and Hawaii is expected to get off the ground this summer.
The low-cost, long-haul airline of the AirAsia Group plans to fly four times a week between Kuala Lumpur and Honolulu beginning June 28, with a stop in Osaka, Japan, according to a flight schedule recently posted on AirAsia X’s website. The airline received Federal Aviation Administration approval last month to serve the U.S. The flights are planned for Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays.
While the Malaysia serv-ice will give Hawaii a foothold in Malaysia, AirAsia X won’t be the only carrier
flying between Osaka and
Honolulu. Hawaiian Airlines, Japan Airlines and Delta Air Lines all offer daily service between Kansai International Airport, which is near Osaka, and Honolulu. The presence of low-cost Asia X could reduce fares on the competitive Osaka-Honolulu route.
“It’s exciting to learn that the start of service will begin this summer,” Hawaii Tourism Authority Chief Operating Officer Randy Baldemor said in a statement. “This is great news for the state as AirAsia X will help diversify our reach to international travelers.”
AirAsia X will become the second low-cost, long-haul Asian carrier to offer service to Hawaii following the December 2015 debut of Seoul-based Jin Air.
The Malaysian carrier, which has been operating since 2007, will use 377-seat Airbus A330-300 aircraft on the Malaysia-Osaka-Honolulu route.
AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail, in a recent interview with the New Straits Times newspaper in Malaysia, said the airline is having a layover in Osaka instead of a direct Kuala Lumpur-Honolulu flight because there is more demand in the Japanese market to travel to the U.S. compared with traveling to Malaysia and ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations).
“Hawaii is the No. 1 destination for the Japanese,” he said in the interview. “There are many flights from there (Japan). Yields are very high, and we are going to rely on that.”
AirAsia X serves 22 cities in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and the Middle East with a fleet of 30 A330s.
Talks between the Hawaii Tourism Authority and Air-Asia started about seven years ago, but progress was slow as the Malaysian carrier waited for U.S. regulatory approval and worked through operational issues.
“This is a major milestone for AirAsia X,” AirAsia X Group CEO Datuk Kamarudin Meranun said in a statement about the FAA approval to fly to the U.S. “Our expansion up until now has concentrated on Asia, Australasia and the Middle East, and we are excited about our first foray into an entirely new market as we look beyond Asia Pacific.”
