AirAsia Japan Receives AOC

Air Asia Japan, the latest low-cost joint venture from the Malaysian carrier, has received the green light for its planned launch later this year after the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism awarded the start-up its Air Operators Certificate (AOC).

The carrier, a joint venture with All Nippon Airways, will now continue preparations for its launch including training flight crew, flight attendants, engineers and ground staff ahead of its proposed domestic launch on August 1, 2012. AirAsia Japan will initially offer flights from Tokyo Narita to Fukuoka, Okinawa and Sapporo Chitose, commencing international services from October 1, 2012 to the Korean cities of Busan and Seoul.

The new company will follow the traditional ‘AirAsia’ business model that has already been successful in the Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Alongside these initial destinations the venture is expected to offer further non-stop flights into North East Asia and in particular the Taiwanese and Chinese markets. It aims to bring the Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) model successful throughout the region into Japan and in the process making it more affordable for the average Japanese national to travel both domestically and regionally.

“We announced the establishment of AirAsia Japan in July last year, and it is great to see the progress of preparations that are in place for our operations in just a few months,” said Tony Fernandes, Group CEO, AirAsia. “I strongly believe in the Japanese market, where low-cost travel is still a new concept to many and the potential of this new market excites me. We are doing good progress and hopefully come this August, the Japanese will have a brand new experience to talk about in both the aviation and travel industry.”