AirAsia targets India in 2008

Mumbai: Malaysia's home-grown budget carrier AirAsia Bhd plans to launch its first flight to India towards end of 2008 and its first destination is likely to be Amritsar in Punjab. "I am really limited by the planes and the earliest we can look at is the third quarter of 2008.
"I like Amritsar, many Sikhs have written to me but I need to know more about India. I only know about their music and cricket," AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes told reporters after speaking at the one-day Low Cost Airline Symposium in Mumbai here Wednesday.
AirAisa X, the long haul budget carrier of AirAsia, is being prepared to do longer destinations and the huge Indian aviation market, growing at 38 percent annually, appears to be on the company's route.
Earlier in the day, he told Bernama, India with many attractive destinations and well spread out geographically was ideal for budget carriers like AirAsia to venture into.
Fernandes said there was no problem for AirAsia to fly to India under the bilateral agreement between India and Malaysia but their aircraft would not be able to fly within India until the Indian government grants approval.
14/06/07 Daily Express, Malaysia

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Foreign Jun 2007, Low Cost General Jun 2007, New Jun 2007