Official launch of Kuala Lumpur – Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) & Bangkok- Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)
Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), 17 April 2008 – AirAsia, the leading and largest low cost carrier in Asia officially held a double celebration to mark the low-cost carrier’s entry from Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) today. AirAsia currently operates direct daily flights from the Kuala Lumpur hub and two weekly flights from its Bangkok hub. Bangkok – Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) flights will be increased to four times weekly starting 27 April 2008. Together, AirAsia group has a combined of 11 flights weekly to Ho Chi Minh.
AirAsia group is aggressively expanding and strengthening its network in Indochina. Collectively the low cost carrier airline has nine points into Indochina, they include Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (Cambodia), Vientiane (Laos), Hanoi (Vietnam), Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) from Kuala Lumpur and Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Yangon (Myanmar), Hanoi (Vietnam) and Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) from Bangkok.
With a combined 101 routes, 53 destinations serviced by AirAsia group and two international destinations serviced by AirAsia X, AirAsia’s long-haul low-cost affiliate, business and leisure travelers have much to gain from the frequency, strong connectivity, convenience, easy accessibility and amazing low fares. The Kuala Lumpur – Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) & Bangkok- Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) service would also enable the people of Ho Chi Minh to connect to AirAsia’s extensive group network and also attract long-haul guests flying from Gold Coast, Australia and Hangzhou, China.
Ho Chi Minh is a busy city that offers many attractions such as shopping, cultural heritage and also business opportunity. It is the largest city in the country, economic capital and a cultural trendsetter. Yet within the teeming metropolis lies a timeless tradition and beauty of an ancient culture.
Dato’ Pahamin Ab. Rajab, Chairman of AirAsia said “20,000 seats have been snapped up since we opened the Kuala Lumpur – Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) on 12 March 2008 & Bangkok - Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) on 3 March 2008. The low fare travel into Ho Chi Minh is long awaited since it has been over a year we commenced the flights to Hanoi. This is evident that our low fares for this destination is in demand as it stimulate travel for both countries to Ho Chi Minh. Our guests can take advantage of our vast network to visit the next city within ASEAN or even connect to other international destinations from both hubs in Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok,”
“The Kuala Lumpur – Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) & Bangkok- Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) service carries a diverse mix of guests from business travelers to tourists. Both cities have endless attractions to offer to the Ho Chi Minh people. AirAsia will continue to boost tourism and stimulate local economies by enabling more visitors to easily travel within the region. The economic benefits for both countries are tremendous with such an exchange of passenger traffic. We would like to express our gratitude to the Vietnam and Malaysian Government, Vietnam Tourism, Tourism Malaysia and airport authorities for their support and foresight the benefit of low cost travel will bring to the people, economies, travel industry and so forth.” concluded Dato’ Pahamin
Meanwhile **Mr. Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia **commented, “We started with only 2 flights on 4th April 2008 and will add third and fourth flights on 27th April 2008. We have noticed there is an escalating base of Vietnamese guests in tandem with the growth of Thailand and Vietnam tourism. Moving forward, as we progressively expand our fleet, we hope to continue increasing our network in Vietnam and Indochina. We believe that our low fares will enable more of our valued guests to experience the variety of sights and flavors both cities offer.”
Both Malaysia and Thailand are every tourist’s paradise as it boasts all the prerequisites to satisfy what the heart desires. Its attractions are diverse and variegated, there is always something for everyone; for nature lovers there are stunning waterfalls, lush rainforests and spectacular beaches, those who love modern cities can also unwind as both cities boast some of the most cosmopolitan and plush cities of Asia with mind boggling architectural marvels, pulsating nightlife and infinite entertainment options.
To date, AirAsia group has carried over 49 million passengers and has grown from a two-aircraft fleet to 70 today and now, has the most extensive low-cost network in the region, all within a short span of six years in operation.
*Bron: *www.airasia.com