Press Release : Air Asia X Arrives at London Gatwick

Hi all,
When I at Gatwick Airport, one of Air Asia X's passenger ask me why Air Asia X moved from London Stansted to London Gatwick.

Where is London Gatwick Airport located ?

Gatwick Airport located between London and Brighton (south of England) 

I just receive an e-mail from Gatwick Airport Press Office regarding my query about Air Asia move from London Stansted to London Gatwick's Airport. Here is the answer from Gatwick Airport ;



Please find information below. 


Monday 24 October 2011 
  
AirAsia X arrives at its new London 'home' - Gatwick 

"        Gatwick welcomes its first AirAsia X flight from the capital city of Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur 
"        Gatwick supports AirAsia X in its drive to increase traffic between the UK and Malaysia 
"        Passengers benefit from a wide choice of onward connections to popular destinations including Thailand and Indonesia 

Today, Gatwick welcomed the arrival of guests from the capital city of Malaysia for the first time as AirAsia X touched down on its new London home, having switched from Stansted Airport.   

AirAsia X will be flying five times a week to Kuala Lumpur, moving to six flights a week by mid-December. 

Long-haul routes to South-East Asia have been underserved by Gatwick but, as of today, that pent up demand from passengers can finally be met. Gatwick's passengers can not only fly direct to Kuala Lumpur - one of the most visited cities in the world - but can also tap into AirAsia's extensive route network throughout South East Asia to popular destinations as Thailand and Indonesia.   

Guy Stephenson, Gatwick Airport's Commercial Director said: "South-East Asia is an important destination for UK business and leisure travellers and so we are excited that AirAsia X has chosen to operate the popular London-KL route from Gatwick and enable us to meet growing passenger demand for travel to this region. 

"Gatwick offers an attractive proposition to airlines and their customers.  We are within an hours drive for around 15 million people and we have fast and excellent rail connections to central London.  The combination of these factors mean that AirAsia X are in a better position to increase traffic between the UK and Malaysia now that they have moved their London 'home' from Stansted to Gatwick. " 

AirAsia Head of Commercial, Darren Wright said: "Our aim has always been to open up travel for all. The popularity of the London-KL route is further testament to the pent-up demand for long-haul travel, provided the fares are low and the quality is high. That is the combination that we at AirAsia X are offering our guests. 
  
"Gatwick Airport was chosen as it demonstrated the passion to work with us in realising our objectives to grow passenger traffic between our hubs in London and Asia Pacific. With our new home base in Gatwick, guests will be able to further benefit from the airport's regional access and market connectivity potential with faster and cheaper rail connectivity to the city as compared to Stansted. AirAsia X sees strong potential for the airport as we believe our entry will address the fact that direct services to Asia have been significantly underserved from Gatwick," concluded Darren.   
  
The Gatwick-Kuala Lumpur route will be serviced by AirAsia X's Airbus A340-300, which has 327 seats including 18 Premium Fly Flat bed seats.  AirAsia X's Premium Fly Flat beds are standard business class specifications of 20" width, 60" pitch and stretches out to 77" in full recline position. The seats feature universal power sockets, adjustable headrests and built-in personal utilities such as tray table, drink holder, reading light and privacy screen. Premium seat guests will get to enjoy the following premium complimentary product and services: Pick A Seat, Priority Check-in, Priority Boarding, Priority Baggage, Baggage Allowance, Combo Meal, Pillow and Blanket. 

ENDS 

Notes to editors (Thats me)

FLIGHT SCHEDULE FOR KUALA LUMPUR - LONDON (GATWICK) 
(6 times weekly effective 14 December 2011) 

Winter schedule 
Flights From                Departure/ Arrival        Flight No.        Frequency 
Kuala Lumpur - Gatwick        0840/14:40                D7 10                Monday, Saturday 
                        14:50/21:45                D7 12                Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday 
Gatwick - Kuala Lumpur        16:10/13:30 (+1)                D7 11                Monday, Saturday 
                        22:20/19:30(+1)                D7 13                Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday 

AirAsia X will operate from Gatwick's South Terminal. 

About AirAsia and AirAsia X 
AirAsia, the leading and largest low-cost carrier in Asia, services the most extensive network with over 160 routes covering destinations in Asia, Australia and Europe. Within 9 years of operations, AirAsia has carried over 120 million guests and grown its fleet from just two aircraft to 104. The airline today is proud to be a truly Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) airline with established operations based in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, servicing a network stretching across all Asean countries, China, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Australia. This is further complemented by AirAsia X, its low-fare long-haul affiliate carrier that currently flies to destinations in China, Australia, Taiwan¸Iran, Korea, UK, Japan, France and New Zealand. AirAsia is the regional carrier with the largest destination network and highest flight frequencies. AirAsia was named the 2011 World's Best Low Cost Airline in the annual World Airline Survey by Skytrax for three consecutive years. 

About Gatwick Airport 
Gatwick Airport is the UK's second largest airport and the busiest single-runway airport in the world. It serves more than 200 destinations in 90 countries for around 32 million passengers a year on short- and long-haul point-to-point services. It is also a major economic driver for the South-East region, generating around 23,000 on-airport jobs and a further 13,000 jobs through related activities. The airport is 28 miles south of London with excellent public transport links, including the award winning Gatwick Express. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder. 

  
  

Gatwick Airport Press Office
Tel: 01293 505000
gatwickmedia@gatwickairport.com
www.gatwickairport.com