Soon, the much-loved phrase "Now Everyone Can Fly" will be just
an empty slogan, after the termination of several flight routes by
low-budget carrier AirAsia.
For now, the most affected will be some 14,000 Malaysian students in the United Kingdom.
This is because AirAsia X, the long-haul budget airline operated
under AirAsia, has announced the termination of its flight to London
starting this March, exactly three years after it was first launched.
Its flights to Paris would also be suspended in the same month.
Malaysia's High Commissioner to the UK, Zakaria Sulong, saying more Malaysians had been able to visit the UK thanks to AirAsia X, would now be left with no choice but to travel on normal fare using other airlines, which most could not afford.
"There is no alternative low-cost carrier from Kuala Lumpur. The movements of the people between the two countries will be affected due to the closure," he was quoted as saying by The Star.
No more flights to Mumbai, New Delhi
AirAsia X also announced its final flights to the Indian city of Mumbai this month, and no more flights to New Delhi by March.
Besides the global economic downturn, AirAsia has cited higher jet fuel prices and aviation-related government taxes for its decision.
"It is a major let-down for the travellers after all the hype about low cost and low fares, though any business has the right to make viable commercial decisions.
"All these axing and sharing appear to be part of the share swap and collaboration agreement inked in August last year. Under the arrangement both AirAsia/AAX and MAS will work together and not fight so the element of competition will be blurred," writes The Star's deputy news editor B.K. Sidhu.
The writings were already on the wall last year following AirAsia's collaboration with competitor Malaysia Airlines. The deal had also led to MAS's own budget airlines Firefly to cancel scores of flights to destinations such as Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Surabaya, Bandung and Bangkok.
Last August, AirAsia headed by Tony Fernandez struck a deal with MAS for a share-swap plan enabling Tony to control 20 percent of stakes in the national carrier and become a member of its board.
For now, the most affected will be some 14,000 Malaysian students in the United Kingdom.
This is because AirAsia X, the long-haul budget airline operated
under AirAsia, has announced the termination of its flight to London
starting this March, exactly three years after it was first launched.
Its flights to Paris would also be suspended in the same month.Malaysia's High Commissioner to the UK, Zakaria Sulong, saying more Malaysians had been able to visit the UK thanks to AirAsia X, would now be left with no choice but to travel on normal fare using other airlines, which most could not afford.
"There is no alternative low-cost carrier from Kuala Lumpur. The movements of the people between the two countries will be affected due to the closure," he was quoted as saying by The Star.
No more flights to Mumbai, New Delhi
AirAsia X also announced its final flights to the Indian city of Mumbai this month, and no more flights to New Delhi by March.
Besides the global economic downturn, AirAsia has cited higher jet fuel prices and aviation-related government taxes for its decision.
"It is a major let-down for the travellers after all the hype about low cost and low fares, though any business has the right to make viable commercial decisions.
"All these axing and sharing appear to be part of the share swap and collaboration agreement inked in August last year. Under the arrangement both AirAsia/AAX and MAS will work together and not fight so the element of competition will be blurred," writes The Star's deputy news editor B.K. Sidhu.
The writings were already on the wall last year following AirAsia's collaboration with competitor Malaysia Airlines. The deal had also led to MAS's own budget airlines Firefly to cancel scores of flights to destinations such as Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Surabaya, Bandung and Bangkok.
Last August, AirAsia headed by Tony Fernandez struck a deal with MAS for a share-swap plan enabling Tony to control 20 percent of stakes in the national carrier and become a member of its board.
-Harakahdaily
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