AirAsia X Flies to Mauritius from 4th October

25th May 2016

Customers of Malaysian-based low-cost carrier (LCC) AirAsia X will have the opportunity to travel to Mauritius as of 4^th October, this airline announced on Wednesday. Bookings, starting from RM299 for one-way tickets, can be done before 5^th June.

The long-haul arm of AirAsia also said it will use Airbus A330-300 aircraft for the route and that it will fly three times per week between Malaysia and Mauritius.

AirAsia X Announces Q1 2016 Financial Results

Yesterday, AirAsia X reported the financial results for the first quarter of the year. The airline reported a profit of RM218.52 million (pre-tax) for the period between 1^st January and 31^st March, 2016. In 2015, the carrier posted a pre-tax loss of RM117.28 million in Q1.

Furthermore, the low-budget carrier also reported that its revenue increased from RM775.37 million to RM970.67 million. This can largely be contributed to two things – passenger traffic growth and average base fare increase.

Chief executive officer at AirAsia Group Kamarudin Meranun said:

In the first quarter of 2016, the China market contributed the highest growth to Malaysia AirAsia X operations. Revenue from China increased 49 per cent year-on-year (YoY) due to higher passenger traffic while average base fare improved 54 per cent YoY.

He also said that AirAsia X expects this positive trend to continue further into 2016, beyond the first quarter, as visa waiver for Chinese travelers visiting Malaysia is implemented. This is why, Kamarudin said, he expects to see more inbound traffic from China into Malaysia.

Speaking about the potential of Chinese market, AirAsia X also revealed its intention to open a couple more routes between this country and Malaysia and Thailand in 2016.

AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail also said the aviation industry’s challenging environment is likely to continue amidst ringgit volatility and regulatory uncertainty.

Mr Ismail said:

We have hedged 100 per cent of the company’s fuel requirements for the remaining quarters of 2016 at an average jet fuel price of US$54 per barrel on planned existing routes. This will effectively allow us to mitigate fuel cost volatility and better manage cost while we venture into new routes.