KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 21): Malaysian travellers will have more flight choices to Australia, with AirAsia Malaysia set to introduce its first Australian route to Perth, while Batik Air unveiled its new route to Melbourne.

In a statement on Tuesday, AirAsia Malaysia said starting March 11 next year, it will add to the current daily operations operated by its affiliate airline AirAsia X Bhd (AAX) between Perth and Kuala Lumpur.

"AirAsia guests will have more options to/from the capital of Western Australia, which will increase from seven currently to 14 flights weekly by then," it added.

“We are thrilled to announce our very first route to Australia to be operated by AirAsia Malaysia. With new specification aircraft models capable of flying beyond the usual four-hour radius, this enhanced range facilitates extended connections between destinations, opening up new possibilities. With the addition of Airbus A321neo joining the AirAsia Malaysia fleet, including longer range capability, we are now able to make these services to Australia a reality," AirAsia Malaysia chief executive officer Riad Asmat said.

“Perth has consistently been one of AirAsia’s most popular destinations, attracting travellers for leisure, tourism, education, as well as for visiting family and friends’ due to its close proximity to Southeast Asia. From Jan 1 to Oct 30 this year, approximately 30,000 guests flew from Malaysia to Perth, with the top five nationalities being Australians, Malaysians, Indians, Chinese and New Zealanders.

"Based on increasing demand, we believe now is the right time to expand our network into this new market in West Australia. We also anticipate introducing more routes in the region in the near future,” he added.

At the same time, Batik Air will launch a direct four times weekly flight from KL to Melbourne from Dec 20 this year to Feb 6, 2024. It will mount an A330 on the route.

"The seasonal flight schedule caters to the rising demand for travel to Australia during the peak holiday and travel season. This service will be utilising the latest Batik Air modern wide-body A330 fleet," said Datuk Chandran Rama Muthy, group strategic director of Batik Air.

He added that Melbourne serves as a prominent Australian visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel hub, earning its place in Batik Air's expanding portfolio, which includes other major cities such as Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, and Brisbane.

Batik Air also provides direct flights connecting KL to Adelaide and Perth. Moreover, Batik Air serves Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth via Denpasar. Additionally, Batik Air operates a route to Auckland via Perth.

To commemorate the new services, Batik Air is offering special promotional fares starting from RM899, all-inclusive one-way Economy Class tickets and RM5,299 for Business Class. The sales period commences immediately up to Dec 10, 2023, for travel between Dec 20 to 30, 2023.

Meanwhile, AirAsia is offering promotional fares from KL to Perth from RM559 all-in one way (including airport taxes, Mavcom RM1 fee, fuel surcharges and other applicable fees). The fare is available for booking from now until Nov 26, 2023 for the travel period between now and Oct 26, 2024.