AirAsia X resumed its first-ever route to Gold Coast, Australia, after a hiatus of more than two years due to the pandemic. In celebration of the newly resumed services to the coastal city, all guests on the inaugural flight were treated to a special send-off ceremony before boarding and a welcoming event on arrival.
Stirling Hinchliffe, Tourism Minister, Australia said: “AirAsia X was predicted to generate AUD45.6 million for the Gold Coast’s visitor economy. These direct services from Kuala Lumpur have been secured by the Palaszczuk Government’s $200 million aviation war chest in partnership with Gold Coast Airport. We’re backing AirAsia X because of the airline’s commitment to increasing its Gold Coast flight schedule to five days a week by the end of the year.”
Marking an incredibly important day for the airline, Benyamin Ismail, CEO, AirAsia said: “The Gold Coast will always hold a special place in our hearts and what makes this announcement even more of a major milestone is that AAX is now the only airline connecting Kuala Lumpur directly to the Gold Coast and to Queensland on the whole. The resumption of this route today will not only attract a significant number of visitors from Malaysia and other Asian countries but also strengthen the ties between Malaysia and Australia.”
“The return of this service re-establishes an important connection between two major tourism and economic hubs at a competitive price for international travel, and an important partnership with AirAsia X for the future,” said Amelia Evans, CEO, Queensland Airports. “We’re also excited to have been able to welcome AirAsia X back to our new International Terminal, providing visitors with an elevated experience from the moment they touch down into the Gold Coast and the region.”
The return of AirAsia X to the Gold Coast would provide three return flights between Kuala Lumpur and the Gold Coast each week, bringing 58,000 additional seats into the region each year.
Since the first AirAsia X flight took off from Kuala Lumpur to the Gold Coast in 2007 more than two million travellers have flown between the two cities.