AirAsia set to establish Penang as its international hub
AirAsia, the world’s best low cost airline, officially celebrates its newest international route from Penang to Singapore today. The route opened for sale on 27 April 2009 with free seats offered to the public, and today marks the inaugural flight from the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ that was recently named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, to the ‘Lion City’.
To mark the inaugural flight of the Penang – Singapore route, AirAsia through its holiday division GoHoliday, is offering guests a buy 1, free 1 room night stay at its partner hotels in Penang – available on our GoHoliday website goholiday.airasia.com. Hotels range from 3-star for budget travelers to the more luxurious 5-star hotels. This special deal is in addition to AirAsia’s current promotion campaign of RM79 (SGD49) for one-way flights between Singapore and Penang.
Booking starts today until June 7, 2009 for travel period between June 15, 2009 to September 13, 2009. The promotional seats and FREE hotel rooms offer is available on first come, first served basis and are subject to availability. For other flight promos, kindly log on to airasia.com.
Minister of Transport YB Dato’ Sri Ong Tee Keat was on hand to receive the first passengers from Singapore to Penang at the Bayan Lepas International Airport, together with AirAsia Group CEO Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes. The event was also graced by the presence of the Minister of Health YB Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai.
The new international route is aimed at encouraging more travel between the two destinations and intensifies tourism activities which in turn bring constant benefits to the economy of both countries. When the route was open for sale in April, it received excellent response from the public where bookings reached encouraging numbers with 17,000 seats snapped up to date. AirAsia is looking at carrying 60,000 guests on this route by year end.
Apart from the Penang-Singapore route, AirAsia also celebrates its inaugural daily flight from Langkawi to Singapore and its 8th daily flight from Kuala Lumpur to the city state today.
YB Dato’ Sri Ong Tee Keat said, “AirAsia’s effort is admirable, as it presents the public with enhanced connectivity from Penang to Singapore. However, from my humble perspective, this does not only provide convenience for the public to travel, but also strengthens bilateral ties between Malaysia and Singapore. I say this because this endeavour shall allow economic benefits to be shared and promote a closer working relationship between both governments.”
Penang is a destination well known for its excellent cuisine and diverse culture. Hence, direct flights to the island will present travelers from Singapore another interesting holiday destination. In Penang, there are many fascinating things to do such as taking a trishaw ride around George Town, enjoying the sunset at the Batu Feringghi beach or go up the Penang hill via cable car to enjoy the panoramic view of the island. Visiting the many food stalls is a must when one sets foot in Penang, to sample the island’s tantalizing gastronomic offerings ranging from fine Chinese, Malay and Indian delicacies.
Likewise, residents of Penang can now enjoy AirAsia’s low fares and have the luxury of direct flights to Singapore, renowned for its cuisine, culture, arts, architecture and bustling business activities. Sample authentic classic style breakfasts at Singapore’s famous East Coast Road or experience peace of mind by enjoying sea breeze at the Bottle Tree Village. For business travelers, Singapore is well known as a centre of business conventions and exhibitions: a perfect place to meet prospective clients or associates.
Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes said, “We anticipate this new route to stimulate more travel between these two destinations and enhance tourism activities, as we are optimistic that our low fares and world class services induces more travel demand which in turn will contribute to the economy of both nations. Based on current statistics, the response from the public is very encouraging for this route. To date, 17,000 seats have been sold since we opened the route for sale on 27 April 2009, and the numbers are still growing. I believe we have successfully established a long awaited, important ‘bridge’ between Penang and Singapore for both leisure and business travelers.”
“As the Asean airline, flying to Singapore is very important to us. We hold on to the belief that we cannot claim to be an Asean airline if we do not fly to Singapore, as the map would not have been complete. Now with Singapore as our ‘virtual’ hub, we are delighted to bring all Asean nations closer than ever, via our extensive network and terrific flight frequencies,” he concludes.
Besides Singapore, Penang also connects guests to other international destinations such as Bangkok, Jakarta, Medan and Macau. Domestically, guests could connect to Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Johor Bahru.
The new route will be served by AirAsia’s brand new Airbus A320 aircraft, one of the most modern aircraft that boosts efficiency, enhances reliability, cost efficient and provides higher service levels to AirAsia’s guests. The Airbus A320 family provides operators with the highest degree of operational commonality and ensures guests’ safety and comfort.
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