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AirAsia X is beefing up its presence in New Zealand to boost sales on flights to the Gold Coast. The airline started flying from Malaysia to Auckland via the Australian tourist spot in March and wants to lure more Kiwis onto the transtasman route. AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail said inbound loads were strong but it wanted more traction in the New Zealand market. One-way fares for under $100 to the Gold Coast were expected to attract more New Zealand passengers. The airline would hire one or two staff here to handle sales and marketing rather than run it out of its Australian operation. Ismail said the airline was looking around for brand ambassadors to boost passenger numbers. "It's not going to be an overnight - we'll get there in a few months time. We just have to execute." Planes were around 80% full flying out of New Zealand but he said he would like to see them closer to capacity. <br/>

Flydubai has increased services to Romania’s capital, Bucharest, in response to increasing demand from travellers in the Arab Gulf. The budget carrier said on Wednesday it has added two extra weekly flights between Dubai and Bucharest, meaning it now operates daily services on the route. “The airline has seen great demand from passengers travelling to Dubai and further afield on the flydubai network,” flydubai said. Flydubai said passengers flying on the Dubai-Bucharest route often connect on flights to Colombo, Delhi, Kuwait, Male’, Mumbai and Zanzibar.<br/>