AirAsia X set to fly in November

AirAsia X, the soon-to-be-launch long-haul low cost airline, will launch operations by flying to Australia's Gold Coast in November.

The airline will commence four direct return flights per week between Kuala Lumpur and the Gold Coast Airport beginning Nov. 2, with fares starting from 99 Australian dollars (US$87; euro62) for one-way travel departing from Gold Coast, AirAsia X said in a statement.

The first flight is expected to carry 315 passengers aboard an Airbus A330, comprising 279 economy seats and 36 premium seats, the statement added.

"We are keen to position Gold Coast as the gateway to Australia as the airport also offers strong domestic connections for low cost travel to Sydney and Melbourne," Azran Osman-Rani, CEO, AirAsia X, said in the statement.

The company recently welcomed its first leased long-haul Airbus A330-300. This first aircraft was delivered to AirAsia X from Ansett Worldwide Services (AWAS), a leading international aircraft leasing company, on a six-year lease. It complements AirAsia X's purchase of fifteen (15) new Airbus A330s announced earlier. Those planes will be delivered over five years starting from September 2008.

The airline expects to fly eventually to other Asian, European and Middle Eastern destinations such as Japan, South Korea, India, Britain and the Czech Republic.