AIRASIA X
SHATTERS ANOTHER LOAD FACTOR RECORD WITH 87% IN 1ST QUARTER, 2012
SEPANG, 30 April 2012- AirAsia X, the long haul, low fare affiliate
of AirAsia today announced another load factor record in its first quarter of 2012.
AirAsia
X carried 0.69 million passengers, a growth of 7.5% over the same
quarter in 2011. This exceeded a capacity increase of 5.5% to 4.5
billion Available-Seat-Kms (ASKs), which was achieved with the same
aircraft fleet of 9 Airbus A330s and 2 Airbus A340s, and tempered by the
suspension of flights to Mumbai in February, and Delhi, Paris and
London at the end of May.
In
terms of passenger traffic, AirAsia X grew by 12.4% to 3.9 billion
Revenue-Passenger-Kms (RPKs) for Q1-2012, resulting in a record-breaking
quarterly load factor of 87%. This is an increase of 6
percentage-points from the same quarter last year, where it registered a
load factor of 81%.
AirAsia
X’s core markets in Australia, Greater China, and North Asia continues
to deliver strong passenger growth, with continued positive
increases in load factor, validating the airline’s strategy of
rebalancing its network from Europe and India towards Australia and
North Asia.
Azran
Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X, said, “Our continued growth points to a
clear positive demand trajectory for 2012 compared to 2011, despite
the continuous higher and more volatile fuel prices and uncertain
global economies and competition. The airline’s strategy is to establish
an optimal network where there is scale, focusing on its core markets
where AirAsia X is in a position of strength.”
“We
are confident we will keep growing into the second half of 2012, where
we have new enhanced innovation and ancillary offerings. AirAsia
X has improved its Fly-Thru connecting transfer service to more
attractive destinations with better flight connectivity options across
South East Asia and beyond. The airline recently increased flight
frequencies from Kuala Lumpur to popular holiday destinations
such as Ho Chi Minh (4X Daily), Bandung (4 X Daily) and Singapore (13 X
Daily).”
Cargo
operations on the other hand were affected by the discontinued India
routes, with AirAsia X carrying 7,407 tonnes of freight for its
current quarter, registering a 11% decrease from a year ago. However,
due to strong improvement in yields, cargo revenue increased by a double
–digit in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the first quarter in
2011.
AirAsia
X is the long-haul, low-cost affiliate of AirAsia Bhd, Malaysia’s
largest airline by market capitalization and passengers.
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