SINGAPORE: AirAsia will halt direct flights between Singapore and Jakarta from July, the airline’s website showed on Tuesday (Jun 30).
AirAsia’s Indonesian subsidiary Indonesia AirAsia previously provided a daily Singapore-Jakarta service, with outbound flights from the Indonesian capital carrying the flight number QZ 264 and return flights assigned the flight number QZ 265.
These flights operated on Tuesday, but do not appear in the flight status section of AirAsia’s website going forward.
Direct AirAsia flights between Singapore and Jakarta are also no longer available for booking on the carrier’s website, with only flights that transit in Kuala Lumpur offered.
The Singapore-Kuala Lumpur legs of these flights are operated by AirAsia, rather than Indonesia AirAsia.
AirAsia customers had earlier reported that their direct flights between Singapore and Jakarta had been rerouted through the Malaysian capital.
Indonesia AirAsia has suspended dozens of flights, according to the AirAsia website. Among them are its direct flights between Singapore and Bali, which have been marked as “moved to Fly-Thru via KUL” on the AirAsia website.
According to aviation analyst Brendan Sobie, AirAsia considers the cutting of both direct services to be permanent, saying in a LinkedIn post that Indonesia AirAsia had exited Singapore after 17 years.
In response to queries from CNA, Mr Bo Lingam, the group CEO of AirAsia X – also known as the AirAsia Group – said last week that the group was “optimising (its) network by reallocating capacity to stronger-performing routes and leveraging (its) Fly-Thru connectivity via Kuala Lumpur and other available hubs to capture demand more efficiently”.
“We continue to closely monitor developments and actively assess our flight schedules based on evolving market conditions and demand patterns, with any necessary cancellations or temporary suspensions implemented carefully to support long-term network sustainability while minimising disruption to our guests,” he said.
“All impacted guests will be informed promptly and provided with service recovery options to manage their travel plans.”
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