SEPANG (March 25): AirAsia Aviation Group Ltd, the short-haul aviation business of Capital A Bhd (KL:CAPITALA), is set to introduce more than 30 new routes in 2025 as it seeks to achieve full network capacity and frequency recovery to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year.

AirAsia chief commercial officer Amanda Woo said one of the focus areas will be the expansion of its routes to Central Asia following the success of its Kazakhstan route.

“Within less than six months of our rollout of Kazakhstan, we are already profitable for this route in Central Asia,” she said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Woo said AirAsia sees strong demand from Kazakhstan, particularly for its Fly-Thru service via Kuala Lumpur to destinations such as Denpasar, Phuket, and East Malaysia.

"Riding on this success, we will be adding more capacity and connectivity in and out of Central Asia," she said.

Among the planned additions is a new route to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, alongside increased frequencies to Kazakhstan.

Besides Central Asia, Woo said the airline will also enhance flight schedules to Australia, particularly Melbourne and Sydney, with a focus on improving timing and frequency.

"We are doubling down on our frequency connectivity to Australia," she said.

AirAsia Malaysia recently announced a new route to Australia, with four weekly flights to Darwin starting on June 27, making it the first airline in the region to offer direct connectivity between Kuala Lumpur and Darwin.

Additionally, AirAsia Indonesia launched its inaugural Bali-Darwin service on March 22.

Woo added: “Especially during the high peak season, we will be adding more capacity into Japan, which is very, very profitable for AirAsia as a group.”

AirAsia's network optimisation is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2025, with frequency increases across high-demand routes beginning in the same period.

In parallel, the airline is evaluating new routes to meet rising intra-Asia travel demand, driven by easing visa policies in key markets such as China, India, Thailand, and Malaysia.

This year, the airline expects to operate a fleet of 234 narrowbody aircraft across the airline’s five short-haul airlines, restoring full pre-pandemic capacity.

Only 16 aircraft remain to be reactivated, while 14 new aircraft deliveries have been confirmed for 2025, four from Airbus and 10 via lessors.

At market close on Tuesday, shares of Capital A were up 1.5 sen or 1.9% at 80.5 sen with a market capitalisation of RM3.49 billion.

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