AirAsia X reports improved operating performance in 4Q2015

AirAsia X Group stated (16-Feb-2016) FY2015 was a challenging year, with setbacks due to "irrational competition", currency volatility, regulatory uncertainties in Indonesia and Thailand and other unforeseen circumstances. AirAsia X reported significant improvement in operating performance across all routes in 4Q2015. The company attributed the improvement to turnaround initiatives implemented in FY2015. The carrier attributed increased load factor to aggressive marketing, greater 'Fly-Thru' transfer connectivity in FY2015 and returning traffic after challenging market conditions in 2014 and 1H2015. Further improvement was hindered by slower than expected recovery of Kathmandu operations following the Nepal earthquake. The carrier suspended Adelaide, Nagoya and Tokyo Narita services and transferred Colombo and Chongqing services to A320 operations in FY2015 as part of its capacity management strategy. Capacity from route consolidation was deployed to new destinations such as Sapporo, underserved routes, charters and wet lease operations. [more - original PR]