HONG KONG : Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia will launch three new daily services to Hong Kong, press reports said Thursday, the latest sign that the airport's luring of cheaper airlines was paying dividends.

AirAsia's chief executive Tony Fernandes said the carrier would launch new daily routes from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu between December and January, according to a report in the South China Morning Post.

Fernandes added that the move was a long-held ambition for the airline, which entered the greater Chinese market with flights to Macau and Shenzhen, but had previously resisted because of Hong Kong's high landing prices.

He said improved incentives from the airport had tipped the balance in favour of offering the new service, and hinted their may be more routes in the future.

"It is a good start in response to the good gesture from the Hong Kong government," Fernandes said.

A Hong Kong airport authority spokesman told AFP the move followed a new package announced last year to target small carriers, which sees a 75 percent rebate in landing charges during the first six months to new destinations and lower parking rates.

Fernandes praised the discount and said one-way tickets to Bangkok would start at 300 Hong Kong dollars (US$38), and 400 dollars to Kuala Lumpur.

Fernandes also told the Wall Street Journal that AirAsia was in talks with Airbus to buy a further 25 A320 jetliners, in a deal which could be worth US$1.63 billion, to meet its expanding network's demands.

AirAsia earlier this month unveiled a new deal with Richard Branson's Virgin Airlines to develop AirAsia X, the long-haul budget carrier which hopes to build a network of long-haul flights across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. - AFP

HONG KONG : Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia will launch three new daily services to Hong Kong, press reports said Thursday, the latest sign that the airport's luring of cheaper airlines was paying dividends.

AirAsia's chief executive Tony Fernandes said the carrier would launch new daily routes from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu between December and January, according to a report in the South China Morning Post.

Fernandes added that the move was a long-held ambition for the airline, which entered the greater Chinese market with flights to Macau and Shenzhen, but had previously resisted because of Hong Kong's high landing prices.

He said improved incentives from the airport had tipped the balance in favour of offering the new service, and hinted their may be more routes in the future.

"It is a good start in response to the good gesture from the Hong Kong government," Fernandes said.

A Hong Kong airport authority spokesman told AFP the move followed a new package announced last year to target small carriers, which sees a 75 percent rebate in landing charges during the first six months to new destinations and lower parking rates.

Fernandes praised the discount and said one-way tickets to Bangkok would start at 300 Hong Kong dollars (US$38), and 400 dollars to Kuala Lumpur.

Fernandes also told the Wall Street Journal that AirAsia was in talks with Airbus to buy a further 25 A320 jetliners, in a deal which could be worth US$1.63 billion, to meet its expanding network's demands.

AirAsia earlier this month unveiled a new deal with Richard Branson's Virgin Airlines to develop AirAsia X, the long-haul budget carrier which hopes to build a network of long-haul flights across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. - AFP

this is good news ,can now go to dysney cheaper........

I do wish that they could get the rights to fly Bangkok - Manila also