AirAsia plans expansion in southeast Asia

With low oil prices reducing its operating costs, AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes said the company is ready to expend again in southeast Asia. The airline does not intend to buy or rent the old devices named A340, but relies on new or improved models A330-200 and A350-900 of Airbus, for which AirAsia  has already made firm orders (3 and 10 units respectively) . A350-900 will have a range of over 17,000 kilometers and can fly non-stop from London to Auckland . A330-200 has a range of 13,000 kilometers. From Kuala Lumpur to Bucharest is 8000 kilometers in a straight line.

AirAsia announced its intention since two years ago to attack the US on both fronts: the transatlantic and transpacific London to New York from Kuala Lumpur to Oakland , California. In June 2009, AirAsia X operated a flight to the west coast of the US, an occasion to formalize the partnership with the Oakland Raiders football team. Sponsoring goes on, although flight in June 2009 was not followed by others.

Tony Fernandes is often described as Asia's Richard Branson. Both are executives of companies in the field of music that launched operations in the airline. Fernandes says , however, that his ambitions are more modest than those of Branson. While Virgin Atlantic Airways owned by Branson has operations worldwide,Fernandes follows the Ryanair model and does not offer any special services, aiming to be the first regional low cost in South-East Asia. After he created in Malaysia a devoted customers comunity through the services they offer , Air Asia is preparing to expand into the rest of the region  If successful, Fernandes could be a catalyst for the development of low-cost airlines in this region.