TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - AirAsia is targeting to serve 75 million passengers in 2024, a significant increase from last year’s 61 million. "Looking ahead, we aim to welcome 75 million guests on board this year, with half of these travelers expected to come from the ASEAN region," said AirAsia Group CEO Bo Lingam in a written statement quoted on Friday, August 9, 2024.

To achieve this target, AirAsia is increasing the frequency and routes of flights in the ASEAN region. The low-cost airline, according to Skytrak, announced a significant increase in the frequency of domestic and international flights with 3,281 weekly flights across 10 ASEAN countries.

Bo Lingam said that AirAsia had served 61 million passengers in 2023, with more than 33 percent traveling across ASEAN.

According to him, with an expanding operational footprint and major hubs in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Cambodia, AirAsia believes in the potential of ASEAN unity and strength as an economic bloc. "We take great pride in championing the ASEAN Economic Community’s vision of creating a single market and production base," he said.

This, said Bo Lingam, will help reduce costs by having common standards, namely, one air traffic control system, one engineering system, an open skies policy, and common ownership.

"We look forward to leveraging our extensive network, increased frequencies, and robust operational capabilities across the region to strengthen integration and foster greater cooperation among member states, contributing to a more interconnected region," said Bo Lingam.

Indonesia AirAsia CEO Veranita Yosephine Sinaga said she takes great pride in contributing to boosting connectivity and tourism in the ASEAN region. According to Veranita, the ASEAN Open Sky policy provides a great opportunity for airlines like AirAsia to expand their networks and present more affordable travel options for the people of ASEAN.

"With the addition of new routes and increased flight frequencies, we hope to drive economic growth and strengthen relations between countries in the region," she said.

Indonesia AirAsia also announced new routes connecting more ASEAN countries, such as the Jakarta - Brunei Darussalam route which just launched its first flight on August 2. Indonesia AirAsia will also launch routes connecting Bali with Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia this month.

"These flights are proof of Indonesia AirAsia's commitment to strengthening its network and providing more affordable travel options in ASEAN," said Veranita.

JONIANSYAH

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