Budget airline taps Hokkaido in turnaround bid

Budget airline taps Hokkaido in turnaround bid

SINGAPORE - AirAsia X, a long-haul affiliate of Malaysia-based AirAsia, announced Tuesday it will launch a new route between Kuala Lumpur and Sapporo, Japan.

AirAsia X in October will begin offering four flights to Sapporo and back to Kuala Lumpur per week. The route will be the carrier's third Japan-bound route; it already flies to Osaka and Tokyo.

Located in Japan's northern-most prefecture of Hokkaido, Sapporo has become a popular destination among Southeast Asian tourists. Ski resorts, national parks and fresh seafood are only a few of Hokkaido's attractions.

AirAsia X will be the only airline operating scheduled flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sapporo. At a press conference on Tuesday, acting CEO Benyamin Ismail called Sapporo a "world-class destination."

He added that "we are confident this route will also draw more inbound Japanese tourist traffic arriving from Sapporo."

Read the full story here.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.