AirAsia X is focusing on expanding its presence further into South Korea as flights connecting Kuala Lumpur and Busan, the largest coastal city in the country, returned on Friday. The airline said the flights provide a boost to tourism.
The airline also pointed out that passengers in Australia and New Zealand can take advantage of the new direct flights. To celebrate the resumption of flights, AirAsia X is offering discounted fares from Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth.
The only airline to operate the flights
The inaugural flight departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 02:10 . It landed at Gimhae International Airport at 09:00. According to the airline, all guests on the inaugural flight were sent off by the airline's Board of Directors, Dato' Fam Lee Ee and AirAsia X's Malaysia CEO Benyamin Ismail in celebration of the service recommencing. When the flight landed in Busan, passengers were welcomed by Busan Tourism Organization (BTO) representatives.
Ismail talked about the importance of the flights returning.
“We are excited to restart this historically very popular route and proud to be the only airline in Malaysia operating direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Busan, a city of many tourism drawcards. From today, air travel between Busan and Kuala Lumpur is now more convenient and affordable, providing a welcome boost for tourism and the local economies. Together with our existing route to Seoul, today’s announcement further strengthens our foothold in South Korea and increases our overall capacity to North Asia - our fastest growing market. We will continue to look for expansion opportunities in the future and work with BTO to promote the destination globally and invigorate the tourism industry in Busan.”
Busan is AirAsia X's 15th destination and the second in South Korea. The flights to and from the city will occur three times weekly and play a vital role in stimulating new demand. According to the airline, the service will also strengthen the carrier's market leadership in North Asia by providing the best value fare, driving greater competition in the market.
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Benefits for passengers in Australia and New Zealand
AirAsia X also caters the returning flights to Australian and New Zealand passengers. The airline said Australians can now enjoy the best value services from Sydney/Melbourne and Perth to Busan via Kuala Lumpur on AirAsia X starting from just AUD372 ($257). New Zealanders can also connect from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur via Sydney onto Busan at great value fares.
"Australians and New Zealanders love South Korea and Koreans love Australia and also New Zealand which they can now fly to at great value fares connecting via our main hub in Kuala Lumpur," Ismail said.
The President of the BTO Jung-Sil Lee, congratulated AirAsia X on the recommencement of the service and said it supports the city's mission to build sustainable tourism.
"Busan is named one of the 'Top 25 Best Travel Destinations in the World in 2023' by National Geographic for its vibrant cultural city and stunning tourist offerings," Sil Lee said. "In line with this recognition, we look forward to working with AAX to boost the tourism revival in Busan and attract passengers from not only Malaysia but from other Southeast Asian countries who can now easily and affordably connect to the city via Kuala Lumpur."