For Immediate Release

AirAsia X Officiates X-citing Route to Maldives at the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport

Offering Great Deals from as low as MYR199* (USD76) to Colombo and MYR399* (USD129) to Male

 

                                              Photo 1                                                                                       Photo 2

Photo 1 (R-L): The Managing Director of Maldives Airports Company Ltd, Mr. Ibrahim Saleem and the CEO of AirAsia X, Mr. Azran Osman-Rani flanked by AirAsia X Flight Attendants at the welcoming ceremony of AirAsia X’s flight to Male, Maldives from Kuala Lumpur.

Photo 2 (1^st row seated L-R): The Ambassador of People’s Republic of China, Mr. Yu Hongyao, The Honourable Minister of Defence and National Security; Colonel (Rtd) Mohamed Nazim, The CEO of AirAsia X, Mr. Azran Osman-Rani,  The Honourable Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture; Mr. Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor and The Managing Director of Maldives Airports Company Ltd, Mr. Ibrahim Saleem.

MALE, 8 October 2013- AirAsia X Berhad, the leading low-cost, long-haul carrier, today received a warm welcome at the official ceremony held at the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport today in commemoration of the airline’s presence in Maldives.

The AirAsia X’s flight D7 184 from Kuala Lumpur received a surprise water salute welcoming upon landing at the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport.

Also present at the ceremony were The Honourable Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture; Mr. Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor, The Honourable Minister of Defence and National Security; Colonel (Rtd) Mohamed Nazim, The Honourable Minister of State for Tourism, Arts and Culture; Mr. Ahmed Shameem, Managing Director of Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), Azran Osman-Rani, the CEO of AirAsia X, distinguished guests and members of the media from Malaysia and Maldives.

The inaugural flight to Male from Kuala Lumpur commenced on 28 September, 2013 via Colombo, Sri Lanka. AirAsia X is serving four weekly flights into Male, Maldives and Colombo, Sri Lanka from Kuala Lumpur.

In conjunction with the official celebration of its new destinations, AirAsia X is offering hot deals from as low as MYR399* (USD129) on Economy and MYR959* (USD299) on Premium to Male, Maldives and from as low as MYR199* (USD76) on Economy and MYR959* (USD311) on Premium to Colombo, Sri Lanka from Kuala Lumpur. Bookings are available online between now and 13 October 2013 for travel between 14 October 2013 and 29 March 2014.

Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X said, “AirAsia X is pleased to be part of this celebration, organized by Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL). We are truly grateful for the support that the government, airport and tourism bodies in Maldives have given us and hope our partnership brings more traffic into Maldives from Sri Lanka and Malaysia in future. Similarly, we hope to increase tourism traffic from Maldives and Sri Lanka into Malaysia.”

“In addition to our affordable fare offerings, our new Fly Thru destinations for the route would also enable Maldivians to connect seamlessly via our Kuala Lumpur hub to Sydney and Melbourne in Australia and Osaka in Japan. This would further stimulate feeder traffic within the AirAsia X network,” concluded Azran.

The AirAsia X’s Fly-Thru service allows guests to easily connect between two different flights via the Kuala Lumpur Low Cost Carrier Terminal without having to worry about checking in twice.

Ibrahim Saleem, Managing Director of Maldives Airports Company Ltd said, “Today is a very special day for all of us as the much anticipated star airline AirAsia X has launched its direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Maldives. We are indeed honored to have such a reputed airline and we are confident that AirAsia X will add values to our airport and we will fully support Air Asia X in every way. I would like to convey our special thanks on behalf of Maldives Airports Company Ltd to AirAsia X team for choosing Ibrahim Nasir International Airport in their route expansion and I wish AirAsia X all the best in their future endeavors. AirAsia X’s new route to INIA would boost the Maldivian tourism and trade benefiting the economy.”

Also on offer on AirAsia’s online travel portal, AirAsiaGo is its 4 days 3 nights deal which includes Return flights, and Hotel stay including taxes from as low as MYR 1459* per pax to Maldives from Kuala Lumpur. Guests from Maldives may also fly to Kuala Lumpur for 5 Days, 4 nights from as low as USD329 per pax.The offer is available for online bookings between now and 20 October 2013 for travel between 14 October 2013 and 24 January 2014. Log on to AirAsiaGo.com for more details.

Sri Lanka once being colonized by the Portuguese, Dutch and British, has the advantage of offering a diversity of culture on a single island. Famed for its natural beauty, the island is famously known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean. Being a tropical country, it makes for a perfect holiday destination all year around. The climate is tropical and warm, due to the moderating effects of ocean winds. Colombo, located on the west cost of the island, is the largest city and the commercial, industrial and cultural capital of Sri Lanka. The tiny island is also home to the first known Buddhist composed writings. Sri Lanka has declared 24 wildlife reserves, which are home to a wide range of native species. Visitors are spoilt for choice when visiting this island with the option to scuba dive, visit an elephant orphanage and a lagoon of singing fish, or explore a variety of jungle sites, shrines and temples. Situated just 20 miles off India, the island formerly known as Ceylon is home to six world heritage sites.

Male’ is interesting to visit mainly for a taste of Maldivian life more than for its inherent wealth of things to see and do. Guests will find that this is a place for the -pleasant and pleasingly quirky – its bars and restaurants jostle with its incredible array of shops and lively markets with the general hubbub of a capital. This is a chance to get a real feel for the Maldives, what makes its people tick and to meet Maldivians on an equal footing.

Maldives main attraction is the sea and hence it can be referred as ‘a treasure trove of marine life’, a collection of low-lying choral islands, situated in the Indian Ocean. It is a heaven for those who love beautiful sandy beaches, great resorts and scuba diving in the blue sea waters. Various fish and plant species are found around the coral reefs. More than 700 species of fishes are found around these reefs, such as Trevally’s, Dogtooth Tuna, Tuna, Jacks, Sweetlips, Butterfly fish, Wahoo and Fusiliers. This small country has a highly developed tourism sector and many great tourist attractions.

AirAsia X was the first long-haul, low fare carrier to introduce Premium Flatbed seats, which have standard business class specifications of 20” width, 60” pitch and stretch out to 77” in full recline position.

The Premium flatbeds feature universal power sockets, adjustable headrests and built-in personal utilities such as tray table, drink holder, reading light and privacy screen. Premium seat guests also enjoy premium complimentary products and services including Pick A Seat, Priority Check-in, Priority Boarding, Priority Baggage, 25kg Baggage Allowance, Complimentary Meal and Pillow & Duvet.

AirAsia X was awarded the World’s Best Low Cost Airline Premium Seat and the World's Best Low Cost Airline Premium Class titles at the 2013 Skytrax World Airline Awards which took place at the Paris Airshow. The AirAsia Group also received its 5^th consecutive year title as the World’s Best and Asia’s Best Low Cost Airline at the 2013 Skytrax World Airline Awards.