NEW DELHI: Malaysia's hybrid airline, Malindo Air is set to commence the Kuala Lumpur-New Delhi route, sources said.

It is currently awaiting approval from India's Civil Aviation Ministry.

"If all goes well, the route should be operational from August 15 onward," a source close to the process told Bernama today.

Although the frequency and type of aircraft, Malindo will use for the five-hour plus route is still unclear, the return fare is expected to be around Rs17,000 (RM887).

The fare is almost 50 per cent lesser than what is being charged now for the route generally.

Malindo operates Boeing's Next-Generation 737-900ER (Extended Range).

In an interview with Bernama last month, Malindo Airways chief executive officer Chandran Rama Muthy had said the carrier plans to fly to India, China and the Asean countries by the end of 2014.

Besides Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia X also flies the route.

However, AirAsia X axed flights to New Delhi and Mumbai on
January 31 last year, citing high operating costs.

Its group chief executive officer, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said
the airline would restart the routes, but indicated, the airline was not rushing to do so anytime soon.-- Bernama