Melo Villareal
AirAsia X Gets Approval From US Government to Operate US Flights
AirAsia X of Malaysia is the first Asian budget carrier to get a nod from the United States government to operate passenger flights in the US.
What this means, according to the airline, is that it will soon launch different flights to any states in the US as it’s already cleared by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) of the US government.
Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, Group Chief Executive Officer, said in a statement on June 24 via Reuters, that the airline’s focus has been on Australasia, Asia, plus the Middle East.
“Our expansion up until now has concentrated on Asia, Australasia and the Middle East, and we are excited about our first foray into an entirely new market as we look beyond Asia Pacific,” he said.
This news comes hot on the heels of Emirates Airline’s announcement that it would launch a US route.
It is worth mentioning that a US airline lobby group said that move amounted to unfair competition as Gulf carriers received government subsidies, Reuters reports. Gulf carriers, however, has refuted they are getting government subsidies.
Meanwhile, AirAsia X is also considering to recommence flights on its London routes.
“At the moment, we are looking at resuming our London routes and we are working towards the necessary approvals,” said a spokesperson to Reuters.
It can be remembered that in March 2012, the airline’s London flights were put off because of high taxes.
In any case, this is definitely good news to quite a few individuals out there who are mulling to have their vacation either in the US or in London.
What do you think about this news? Are you excited to visit the US and London through AirAsia X? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
