AirAsia X on 22 March began a daily service from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Wuhan (WUH) in China. The 3,381-kilometre route will be flown by the carrier’s A330-300s and will not face any direct competition. Wuhan becomes the airline’s seventh destination in China after Beijing (launched in June 2012), Chengdu (October 2009), Chongqing (September 2016), Hangzhou (February 2008), Shanghai Pudong (February 2013) and Xi’an (July 2014). AirAsia and AirAsia X each have around 29% of the seat capacity between Malaysia and China, well ahead of Malaysia Airlines and China Southern Airlines who both account for around 11% each.
Benyamin Ismail, CEO of AirAsia X Berhad, said: “We are happy to connect Wuhan directly to Kuala Lumpur after Kota Kinabalu, Bangkok and Phuket operated by our short-haul affiliate AirAsia Berhad and AirAsia Thailand. China is a key market for the AirAsia and AirAsia X Group and this new connectivity option will further strengthen our presence in China. Travellers can enjoy many interesting attractions in Wuhan such as historical sites and natural sites with picturesque scenery.
Benefitting from its strategic position in central China, Wuhan naturally became a hub for the efficient distribution of products for many industries. We are confident that Wuhan will not only attract leisure travellers to fly with us but also business travellers who want to take advantage of Wuhan’s substantial economic growth.”
Last year Wuhan Tianhe International Airport handled almost 20.8 million passengers, ranking 14th among Chinese airports. In total AirAsia X now operates 51 flights per week from KL to destinations in China, beaten only by the 53 flights per week it scheduled to Australia.