AYISY YUSOF
KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Group Bhd is scheduled to resume domestic flights from April 29.
This will be followed by international flights to Thailand and the Philippines (May 1), India (May 4) and Indonesia (May 7), subject to approval from the authorities.
AirAsia said the service resumption would initially be for key selected domestic routes, before increasing gradually to international destinations.
However, AirAsia said the resumption would only be effective once the situation improves and governments lift borders and travel restrictions.
AirAsia group airlines president Bo Lingam said it was hoping to resume full operations as soon as possible.
“We have undertaken a thorough review of our guest handling procedures both on ground and onboard in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have been working closely with the airport authorities to ensure that all the relevant precautionary measures are in place to ensure a safe, pleasant and comfortable journey for everyone,” he said in a statement today.
He said the safety and wellbeing of its guests and employees had always been the airline’s highest priority.
“We work actively with all our regulators, local governments, civil aviation and health authorities, including adhering to guidance from the World Health Organisation and International Civil Aviation Organisation to ensure the highest standards of compliance and conformance are in place for every single flight we operate in our network,” he added.
AirAsia said its long-haul unit AirAsia X Group’s resumption of services in Malaysia and Thailand could not be immediately determined.
AirAsia advised travellers to practice the universally recommended protective precautionary measures including wearing a mask, social distancing and observing high personal hygiene.
The carrier’s aircraft, which are fitted with hospital-standard High Efficiency Particulate filters, would be sent for a thorough disinfection after each flight, it said.