AirAsia X to stop flying KL to London, Paris, Mumbai and Delhi

AirAsia X, the long haul, low cost affiliate of AirAsia, is withdrawing its flights to India (Mumbai and Delhi) and Europe (Paris, London) from its Kuala Lumpur hub as follows:

nMumbai – Four weekly services will be suspended with the last flight on 31 January 2012

nNew Delhi – Daily services will be suspended with the last flight on 22 March 2012. Flights in March will be reduced to four weekly services.

nLondon – Six weekly services will be suspended with the last flight on 31 March 2012

nParis – Four weekly services will be suspended with the last flight on 30 March 2012

AirAsia X has said it will offer guests who hold bookings after these dates an alternative travel option at no additional cost to mitigate the inconvenience caused as a result of these route withdrawals.

The airline says that all affected guests will receive an e-mail stating options that are available to them, including a full refund, a reroute to another AirAsia X destination (e.g., in Australia and North Asia), or a move to an alternative carrier where available.

“AirAsia X remains focused on maintaining its global leadership position in the low cost, long-haul segment. We intend to concentrate capacity in our core markets of Australasia, China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea where we have built up stable, profitable routes within an infrastructure that supports low cost services. We intend to open up new routes within these markets, as well as add frequencies on existing routes. Announcements of our future expansion plans will be made soon,” said Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X.

“The continued high jet fuel prices and the weakening demand for air travel from Europe, brought about by the current economic situation together with exorbitant government taxes, have placed cost pressures on operating long-haul low cost flights between Asia and Europe, compromising our ability to offer the low fares AirAsia X is known for.”

 “The implementation of the Emissions Trading Scheme and the escalating Air Passenger Duty taxes in UK, which will rise yet again in April 2012 has forced our decision to withdraw our services to Europe,” he added. “As for Delhi and Mumbai, the continued visa restrictions for travel between India and Malaysia, and the increase in airport and handling charges have resulted in a structure not conducive to the low cost model ... The airline is hopeful in reinstating services to India once these structural issues can be resolved.”