AirAsia to reopen all Malaysian routes, push for overseas flights

AirAsia sees brighter skies ahead after Malaysia lifted interstate travel restrictions, with the low-cost carrier also pushing to restart international flights to Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives as early as next week, its president told Nikkei Asia. Bo Lingam, AirAsia Group's president for airline operations, said Monday that the company is "very relieved" with the government's decision to reopen domestic borders as it will benefit both the carrier and its workforce. The airline aims to go big on domestic travel by reaching a pre-pandemic capacity of 39 local routes and 169 daily flights by late November, according to Bo. "We will open all domestic destinations that we were flying pre-COVID by the end of next month, involving over 45 aircraft," he said. The comments came after the federal government on Monday allowed interstate travel nationwide. The airline was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with hundreds of its employees retrenched and aircraft idled after domestic and international borders were closed and travel limited. The government of PM Ismail Sabri fully reopened state borders in the Southeast Asian country for the first time this year, allowing millions of residents to travel for business and leisure. Fully vaccinated Malaysians can also head overseas without police approval.<br/>