Bangkok--26 Nov--AirAsia
The world’s best maintains commitment to the Indian market with the launch of new routes
AirAsia held an auspicious celebratory event in the city of Kolkata today, to commemorate its successful inaugural flight from Kolkata - Kuala Lumpur. Kolkata is one of the airline’s latest Indian destinations which opened for sale recently, alongside Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum).
The occasion was honourably graced by the presence of the Honorary Consul for Malaysia in Kolkata H.E. Mr. Sanjay Budhia, Honorable Tourism Minister of West Bengal Shri Manabendra Mukherjee and AirAsia Regional Head of Commercial Kathleen Tan.
Following a successful launch of Trichy last year, AirAsia maintained its commitment to expand its Indian network by launching three new routes from Kuala Lumpur to Kolkata, Kochi and Trivandrum which opened for sale on 15 October 2009. The airline is confident that the route will provide a positive boost for tourism activities and stimulate local economies of India and Malaysia. Furthermore, provide direct connection between West Bengal to Malaysia via Kuala Lumpur hub, which in itself is a gateway to many destinations across Asia, the UK and the Middle East.
Kathleen Tan, Regional Head of Commercial Airasia said, “With Kolkata added to our extensive network, AirAsia is unlocking the potential of international air travel from Kuala Lumpur to eastern India and its surrounding areas. We are thrilled to be serving Kolkata direct, a huge market that no other airline is serving direct. With the commencement of the direct service to Kuala Lumpur, the people in West Bengal and India may now use Kolkata as a gateway to our extensive route network to ASEAN and beyond. With 28,000 seats sold to date for the new route, it is a significant achievement for this market. We are very committed to expand this market and provide excellent opportunity to the community to enjoy our unbelievable low fares and world class service.”
“We also look forward to add further capacity, options for better travel value and better comfort to travelers between India and Kuala Lumpur in the future. Our persistent focus is to make air travel convenient for our guests via simple and expedient services but at world class standards. Additionally, we always strive hard to continue expanding our presently extensive network, and there are plans to initiate services to other cities in India soon. Be on the lookout for more surprises from us,” Tan concludes.
For all flights to India, AirAsia utilizes a brand new modern fleet of comfortable and spacious Airbus A320 aircraft, fitted with leather seats and spacious cabin. This will be complemented by a variety of palatable hot meals options onboard, convenient and renowned customer service, friendly cabin crew and more. AirAsia encourages guests to pre-book their meals, and check in baggage online for greater savings!
AirAsia is the first airline in the world to abolish fuel surcharges and administrative fees from all its international and domestic flights, to make travel more affordable and accessible for all.
For booking of flights, in place are convenient booking mechanisms through AirAsia’s website, www.airasia.comand mobile devices at mobile.airasia.com, presenting guests with utmost convenience, where a myriad of services are instantly available at their fingertips.
AirAsia through its one stop travel portal, GoHoliday, at goholiday.airasia.comis also offering some great online hotel deals and tour packages where guests may choose their holiday lodgings from over 50,000 hotels to suit their budget.
AirAsia is currently the largest low-cost carrier in Asia and services the most extensive route network in South East Asia with over 70 destinations across 20 countries and 9 major hubs in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Kinabalu), Thailand (Bangkok, Phuket) and Indonesia (Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya, Bandung). It has grown from a modest two aircraft to its current fleet of 85, servicing over 130 routes in just 7 years.
Kolkata is recognized as one of the four major metropolis of India along with Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai. The city is home to some of the most eminent and legendary personalities such as Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, philosopher Ramakrishna and well known film director Satyajit Ray
Dubbed as ‘The City of Joy’, Kolkata is the state capital of West Bengal which boasts unique cultures and heritage. The cultural essence of Kolkata dwells in its major tourist attractions which attracts millions of people from all corners of the world.
The Victoria Memorial is the most significant tourism attraction in Kolkata, along with the dazzling Howrah Bridge, the Marble Palace, Kali Mandir, the Indian museum and the Eden Gardens which are favourite spots for tourists.
The city of Kolkata is a haven for food lovers with some of the best known restaurants and street food outlets in India. The fabulous 'RasoGulla', and Mishti Doi, two sweet dishes are a must-try for visitors.
If sun, sand and the roar of the sea make up your idea of a perfect holiday, you could also head out for the beaches in and around Kolkata.
Kolkata is well connected to many Indian cities as a majority of domestic airlines have direct services to and from Kolkata.
FLIGHT SCHEDULE KUALA LUMPUR — KOLKATA
Flight No. Destinations (Flights from/to) Depart Arrive Frequency
AK 323 Kuala Lumpur Kolkata 14:30 15:50 Daily
AK 324 Kolkata Kuala Lumpur 16:35 22:55 Daily