The retrofitted planes, featuring the airline’s new “Aria Suite” business class product, have been introduced on five selected flights per week to Australia as their second destination outside of Hong Kong, following their debut on Hong Kong-London in January.
The route, commencing 27 June, will operate four times per week on A321neo aircraft, adding around 100,000 seats per year and bringing AirAsia Group’s total weekly Darwin flights to seven. It comes after sister airline Indonesia AirAsia announced a non-stop Denpasar service in January.
According to new BITRE data released by the Department of Transport, "restricted economy" fares, or standard economy fares, have crashed since high points in September and October following the end of Rex’s jet operations, and are now at 55.9 per cent of base period.
The simulator, which can be configured for either 737-700 or 737-800 aircraft, was moved to Sydney in March last year from its former home at Ansett Aviation Training (AAT) in Brisbane. It has now been purchased by lending firm Navinci for an undisclosed sum, with plans to add a second.
The Dash 8-Q400 VH-8QC and Embraer E190 VH-8EB bring the airline’s total fleet to 26, including 11 Q400s and eight E190s. It will use the new planes to service its growing Queensland operations and bolster its operating base in WA.
The Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA) argued that taking a one-size-fits-all approach to customer protections would have “the potential to impact regional and remote communities across Australia in adverse ways including increases in prices or reduction in services”.