AirAsia Eyes 45 Pct Malaysia Market, 70 Pct Domestic

From Abdul Hamid A Rahman

CEBU, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- AirAsia aims to capture up to 45 per cent of Malaysia’s overall aviation market and 70 per cent of the domestic sector within the next two years, supported by new aircraft capacity and an international expansion strategy.

AirAsia Aviation Group chief commercial officer Amanda Woo said the airline currently holds about 41 per cent of Malaysia’s overall market and 60 per cent of the domestic sector.

“With the additional capacity and aircraft deliveries, we are confident of lifting our overall market share to 45 per cent and our domestic share to 70 per cent,” she told Bernama on the sidelines of the launch of AirAsia’s resumed direct flight between Kuala Lumpur and Cebu, the Philippines, on Tuesday.

She said the airline has fully recovered its capacity across ASEAN and India following the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now pursuing growth beyond the region.

“This year we launched services to Karachi (Pakistan) and Tashkent (Uzbekistan), and Istanbul is next on the roadmap. We are also looking at the Gulf region, which will serve as a strategic hub to connect flights from Kuala Lumpur to Europe, including London,” she said.

Woo said the expansion is in line with AirAsia’s multi-hub strategy and its vision of positioning Kuala Lumpur as a mega hub for the group, enabling seamless connectivity across ASEAN and beyond.

“Malaysia is our core market, and we want Kuala Lumpur to stand out as the preferred hub. With more aircraft coming in, we are confident of strengthening our market share both domestically and internationally,” she added.

-- BERNAMA