AirAsia has announced its sixth international hub as Langkawi in Malaysia at the ongoing Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition.

AirAsia Group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes has said the plan is expected to take off in four months time, with the airline basing more crew and pilots in Langkawi.

“We are very excited about this announcement today. We plan to put five planes in Langkawi and generate approximately 1 million to 1.5million passengers through Langkawi very quickly,” he said.

He said the airline plans to focus predominantly on ASEAN destinations, gradually expanding the connectivity to China and India, while contributing further to the growth of traffic at the airport.

Aireen Omar Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Berhad said the airport in Langkawi is under-utilised, but believes the airport has a huge potential to grow as international hub.

“Today is a big day for us at AirAsia. We have been campaigning for a while now, and we are pleased to know the government and the airport are beginning to see the benefits of Low Cost Carriers and understand that with the right cost structure, we can grow the airport and churn new businesses,” she added.

The Minister of Transport of Malaysia, Liow Tiong Lai applauded AirAsia following the announcement and said: “I am very happy with AirAsia’s announcement to turn Langkawi into one of its international base. It has been the Prime Minister’s dream, as well as my own dream to see Langkawi become a full-fledged international airport.”

He added that AirAsia has the capabilities to grow Langkawi and turn it into a top holiday destination, even better than Phuket or Bali, eventually making Malaysia one of the favourite tourist destinations on the global map.

Langkawi will become AirAsia’s sixth hub in Malaysia following Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Johor Bahru, Penang and Kota Kinabalu. Langkawi was also the airline’s first route to be in operated in 2001, and currently serves three routes from the island, with 98 weekly flights.