KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 31): AirAsia will resume its direct flights to Visakhapatnam as part of its network expansion in India, making it the only airline in Malaysia to fly directly to the city.

In a statement on Wednesday, the low-cost carrier announced that it will operate three weekly flights to Visakhapatnam starting April 26, 2024.

AirAsia said the flight tickets are on sale until Feb 14, 2024, with a starting fare of RM199 all-in-one-way to Visakhapatnam and 4,999 Indian rupees (RM284.38) from Visakhapatnam to Kuala Lumpur for travel between April 26, 2024 and March 15, 2025.

“AirAsia is thrilled to continue this celebratory momentum of growing connectivity in one of our biggest international markets — India — as we continue to make travel more affordable and accessible to all,” said AirAsia Aviation Group CEO Bo Lingam.

“A direct route to Visakhapatnam is a core part of our expansion plans and we’re delighted that it is taking off at an opportune time for AirAsia, marking our fourth and counting new route to India this year. We look forward to connecting travellers to this majestic city that is immersed in rich culture as well as enchanting natural wonders,” he added.

The airline recently announced three other new routes to India which will begin operating this year — Thiruvananthapuram in February, serving as AirAsia’s second route to the state of Kerala following Kochi, Jaipur in April and Ahmedabad in May.

Meanwhile, AirAsia and its sister airline AirAsia X offer flights to six cities in south India — Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Kochi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata — as well as to two cities in the north — New Delhi and Amritsar.

“Similarly, we look forward to flying travellers from the city who are keen to visit Kuala Lumpur which links affordably to other parts of Malaysia, Southeast Asia and further afield on our vast network,” said Lingam.

The Malaysian government has granted visa-free entry for citizens of India for stays up to 30 days from Dec 1, 2023, until Dec 31, 2024.