AUCKLAND, 23 MARCH 2016 – AirAsia X commenced its daily flights connecting Kuala Lumpur to Auckland via Gold Coast, Australia today, and saw a healthy 95 percent load factor on its inaugural flight. The aircraft was welcomed at Auckland Airport with a water salute and traditional Powhiri ceremony.

A celebration event followed by a press conference was held for the arrival of flight D7 206, where the Hon. Amy Adams, Minister for Broadcasting, Minister for Communications, Minister for Courts & Minister for Justice, New Zealand, H.E Dato’ Lim Kim Eng, High Commissioner of Malaysia to New Zealand and Chief Executive Auckland International Airport, Adrian Littlewood welcomed the guests from Kuala Lumpur. Among the guests on board the inaugural flight were Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, Chairman of AirAsia X Berhad, Dato’ Fam Lee Ee, Board of Director AirAsia X Berhad and Benyamin Ismail, Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia X Berhad.

AirAsia X is also commemorating this significant occasion by offering promotional all-in-fares from as low as RM699* one-way on economy seats and from as low as RM1,999* one-way on the award-winning AirAsia X Premium Flatbeds. These promotional fares are available for booking online at airasia.com from now until 3 April 2016 for the travel period from 25 March 2016 until 22 May 2017.

The AirAsia mobile app on the iPhone and Android devices as well as the mobile site mobile.airasia.com are also available as convenient ways to book these promotional flights.

Benyamin Ismail, Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia X Berhad says, “We are very happy to be in Auckland today, and we would like to thank everyone from New Zealand who has helped to make the commencement of this route possible, from the airport to our business partners and of course the government of New Zealand. We look forward to connecting more people from across Asia and Australia into this beautiful city of Auckland through the vast route network in the AirAsia Group. I am proud to say that the flight into Auckland today operated at over 95% flight load and we are confident that we will continue to see strong loads moving forward.”

Adrian Littlewood, Chief Executive of Auckland Airport says, “I’m delighted to welcome Air Asia X here to Auckland. This new daily service is a fantastic addition to our international network, not only supporting the growing tourist demand from Malaysia and South East Asia, but providing New Zealanders with another Trans-Tasman route and the opportunity to connect into Air Asia’s extensive network through Asia and India.”

Following the commencement of this daily flight service, guests can now travel from Kuala Lumpur to Auckland, New Zealand with a quick stopover in Gold Coast, Australia. An Australian visa is not required for the quick stopover and Malaysians can travel visa-free to New Zealand for up to three months, making traveling for all Malaysian guests a breeze. Guests can also make use of the Fly-Thru option to connect seamlessly to Auckland from other cities within AirAsia Group’s extensive flight network; or the Multi-City option to spend a few days on the stopover in Gold Coast (Australian visa required) before travelling onward to Auckland, allowing even more flexibility into your travel plan.

New Zealand, also known as Aotearoa in the native Māori tongue, which means the land of the long white cloud, is legendary for its spectacular natural sceneries and distinctive Māori culture. Spreading across 270,534 km2, the country has two main Islands simply known as the North and South Island. The City of Sails – Auckland is New Zealand’s most populous city located on the North Island with a huge range of attractions, such as the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere – Sky Tower, the magnificent volcanic crater at Mount Eden, the beautiful Auckland Domain Park that houses Auckland War Memorial Museum, and many more attractions such as the Viaduct Harbour, Rangitoto Island and others.

One can also opt for the self-drive option to the scenic Northland chasing sands at Ninety Mile beach and visit Cape Reinga – the Northern tip of New Zealand; or drive down to Matamata for the Hobbiton Movie Set – one of the filming location for The Lord of The Rings Trilogies, both only within hours of drive away from Auckland city.

Keep updated with AirAsia’s latest promotions and activities via Twitter (twitter.com/AirAsia) and Facebook (facebook.com/AirAsia).