Skift Take

Looking to make the most of Malaysia's visa-free policy for Indians, AirAsia is strategically enhancing its presence and involvement in the Indian market.

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AirAsia has announced the launch of a new route from Ahmedabad to Kuala Lumpur. Set to take flight from May 1, the new connection will mark AirAsia’s eleventh route from India, and third new route in 2024 alone. This will also be the Malaysia-based carrier’s entry into the state of Gujarat, as it looks to rapidly grow its connectivity from Malaysia to India.

AirAsia had earlier said that it plans to add 69 weekly flights in the first quarter of 2024, providing over 1.5 million seats annually for the India-Malaysia route.

The Malaysian government has introduced a 30-day visa-free entry for Indian travelers starting December 1, 2023. 

Air Asia Group CEO Bo Lingam called the flight launch a celebration of the government’s “commendable initiative” for visa free entry into Malaysia for Indian nationals.

“When we launched our very first flight into India in 2008, our vision and mission had always been to enhance affordable connectivity between our two nations. Both Malaysia and India have plenty of untapped tourism potential and it’s been amazing to see how travel has boomed in both countries in the last decade,”