He continued by saying that the budget carrier would inaugurate routes to ASEAN nations initially and then hopefully expand to destinations in India and China. The CEO added that the airline had an eventual target figure of 1.5 million passengers annually from Langkawi.
At present, AirAsia flies to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Penang from Langkawi. Langkawi will be the sixth Malaysian hub of operations for AirAsia. It will join Kuala Lumpur, Penang Island, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru and Kuching.
CEO Fernandes noted that Kedah State would benefit as a whole as cabin crews, service staff and maintenance personnel would be based on Langkawi. He explained that there would be job opportunities for suitably qualified applicants as the hub airport increased its sphere of operations.
AirAsia names Langkawi Island as newest hub
News in Asia
The CEO of AirAsia has announced that Langkawi Island will be its newest international hub airport. Tony Fernandes told reporters at a press briefing late last week that the plan was to base five aircraft at the Malaysian island’s airport.