Thai AirAsia stays high in Q1

TAA achieved a 17-per-cent increase in passengers over the first quarter of 2011 due to strong demand from the new China and India routes. This was reflected in a 14-per-cent increase in seating capacity. TAA also introduced new routes from Bangkok to Trang, Chennai, Chongqing and Nakhon Phanom. 

Meanwhile, Malaysia-based parent AirAsia’s operational results in the first quarter of the year skyrocketed on a load factor of 80 per cent and 12-per-cent increase in passenger capacity, with Thailand one of the driving forces. 

The healthy results were supported by a 12-per-cent traffic increase year on year to 4.82 million passengers, dispelling any signs of economic slowdown. The strong traffic was a spillover from the performance in the fourth quarter of last year, bolstered by the introduction of new routes from Kuala Lumpur to Da Nang, Semarang, Surat Thani and Palembang in the first quarter this year. 

AirAsia also strengthened its foothold in East Malaysia by increasing its Kuala Lumpur-Kota Kinabalu frequency to 14 times daily. 

Indonesia AirAsia saw its load factor drop by 2 percentage points year on year to 77 per cent in the first quarter this year. This was due to increased seating capacity of 19 per cent year on year whereby the company looked to strengthen such hubs as Surabaya. This hub introduced new flights to Denpasar and Bandung, which contributed to strong passenger growth year on year of 16 per cent. 

Philippines AirAsia began operations on March 28, and currently operates two aircraft.