Air Asia X’s direct Amritsar-Kuala Lumpur flight to start from August 16
The airline will operate four weekly return services between Kuala Lumpur and Amritsar on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
AirAsia X’s chief executive officer (CEO), Benyamin Ismail, announced here on Tuesday that they are starting the direct Amritsar-Kuala Lumpur flight on August 16 and booking of tickets for the flight will begin on May 2. He was speaking at a function organised by the Air Asia for the announcement of the schedule of the new flight. He said, “Many Sikhs and Punjabis in Kuala Lumpur had been asking us to start a direct flight to the Golden Temple city of Amritsar. So, we decided for it.”
“This new route is part of our efforts to strengthen our position in India, which offers us the possibility of expanding in Europe and North America. AirAsia X will focus on promoting Amritsar along with our existing destinations, New Delhi and Jaipur, as part of our overall campaign focusing on ‘fly-thru’ traffic from markets like Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand,” said Benyamin.
Punjab minister for tourism and cultural affairs Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was also present at the function, said, “The direct flight is important for Punjabis all over the world. It is a preferred destination not only for the Punjabi diaspora, but also for many foreign tourists.”
Stressing on the launch of more direct flights from Amritsar to various destinations, Sidhu said only 10,000 tourists visit Agra’s Taj Mehal while more than 1.25 lakh tourists visit Amritsar for paying obeisance at the Golden Temple every day. “Traffic from the Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport has increased by 48% in the past few months. So, there is need to start more new direct flights from Amritsar.”
“The one-way fare of the flight is just ₹3,555, which is very much affordable for common people. This flight will certainly boost the economy of Amritsar and the country,” he said.
The airline will operate four weekly return services between Kuala Lumpur and Amritsar on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The flight (carrier code: D7188) will take off from Kuala Lumpur at 1920 hours and arrive at the Amritsar airport at 2230 hours. The return flight (carrier code: D7189) will depart from Amritsar at 2345 hours and arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 0805 hours.
Member of Parliament from Amritsar Gurjit Singh Aujla, and deputy commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha were also present on the occasion.