KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 – AirAsia X Bhd (AirAsia X) announced that it carried a total of 890,289 passengers, 2.6 times higher year-on-year (y-o-y), in the fourth quarter of 2023 (4Q 2023).
AirAsia X said it achieved an encouraging passenger load factor (PLF) of 82 per cent, up by three percentage points, even as seat capacity multiplied by 2.5 times compared to the same period in the preceding year.
“This came as the company ramped up its fleet size and network reach over the past 12 months, further buoyed by the peak year-end holiday and travel season,” it said in a statement on Tuesday
On a full-year basis, AirAsia X Malaysia posted a healthy PLF of 80 per cent, up by two percentage points from the preceding year.
“Despite a 6.6 times growth in seat capacity, the company carried over 2.8 million passengers, reflecting a y-o-y growth of about 6.8 times,” it said.
AirAsia X said that with the increase in the number of operational aircraft and the number of flights to 9,799 flights for the year, AirAsia X Malaysia’s Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) capacity surged by 7.5 times to 15,604 million.
“In 2023, AirAsia X Malaysia served a total of 22 destinations, with a total of eight routes launched over the 12 months,” it said.
During the quarter under review, AirAsia X Malaysia’s number of operational aircraft stood at 16, as opposed to six aircraft in 4Q 2022, and delivered increased flight frequencies and network ramp-ups.
“This ultimately boosted its available seat kilometres capacity by 2.8 times y-o-y to 4,770 million, tracked by revenue passenger-kilometres (RPKs) growth of close to three times y-o-y, standing at 3,839 million,” it said.
In terms of network, AirAsia X launched a new route to Hong Kong (seven times per week) in December, supported by immense demand from the market.
In 4Q 2023, the company increased its flight frequencies to Seoul (to 12 times per week), Sydney (11 times per week), Melbourne (12 times per week), and Bangkok (seven times per week), bringing the total weekly flight frequency to 144 flights by year-end.
Its associate, AirAsia X Thailand’s PLF full-year basis, stood at 83 per cent with over 1.3 million passengers carried in total, up by about 4.5 times compared to the period between January 2022 and December 2022.
In 2023, AirAsia X Thailand serviced a total of six routes, with its network now encompassing core markets in Japan, South Korea, Australia and China.
Meanwhile, for 4Q 2023, AirAsia X Thailand recorded a robust PLF of 86 per cent, as the number of passengers carried grew by about 1.7 times y-o-y to 387,217 passengers, while seat capacity increased by 1.8 times y-o-y to 450,979 seats during the quarter.
In terms of network, AirAsia X Thailand resumed services to Sapporo, ending the quarter with 52 flights per week.
AirAsia X’s total fleet size stood at 18 A330s as of Dec 31, 2023, with 16 aircraft activated and operational, while AirAsia X Thailand’s total fleet size stood at eight A330s, with seven aircraft activated and operational.
