Up to 50% of the passengers aboard low-cost airlines in South East Asia are first-time fliers, according to Tony Fernandes, the man who plans to offer budget fares between the UK and Kuala Lumpur aboard new airline Air Asia X.
Fernandes announced plans for the start-up carrier on Friday, promising return fares of between £41 and £231 to the UK.
Due to launch in July, the carrier will be a joint venture between Fernandes’s existing airline, Malaysia’s biggest no-frills carrier Air Asia, and small regional carrier Fly Asian Express (Fax) in which he holds a stake.
It will start with two aircraft, initially on routes in Asia.
Fernandes set up Air Asia in Malaysia in October 2001, buying the ailing state-owned airline of the same name for about 20p.
He has profited from rapid deregulation of aviation in the region, often leading the lobbying for open-skies deals between states, and Air Asia now has a fleet of 50 aircraft.
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