Air Asia, the no fills airline of Malaysia had a close shave in Kuching.

An AirAsia aircraft from Kuala Lumpur skidded off the runway as it landed here during heavy rain last night, slightly injuring four passengers.
A passenger, Balai Ringin Assemblyman Snowdan Lawan, said the plane veered sharply to the left and right after it touched down at 10.20pm and then skidded off the runway onto soft ground.

“I was not sure at which section of the runway it skidded as it was raining and dark. When I alighted from the plane, I noticed that the nose-wheel tyre seemed to have been damaged,” he told reporters.

Flight AK5218 of the budget airline had originated from the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Kuala Lumpur.

It is learnt that the four injured passengers were sent to the Sarawak General Hospital for treatment.

Department of Civil Aviation Director-General Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, when contacted, said the department had been notified of the mishap and it had sent its officers, along with AirAsia engineers, to investigate.

He declined to comment further, saying it was understood that the transport minister would issue a press statement on the matter today.

Up to early today, Bernama was unable to verify from the AirAsia representative at the airport here on the number of passengers who were on the flight.

MAB said work to tow the aircraft away from where it had stalled was being undertaken with the assistance of AirAsia engineers but the heavy rain last night had hampered the effort.

The World’s largest budget airline group hopes to offset the free fares, estimated to cost at least 2 billion baht, with earnings from optional services such as in-flight food and beverages and priority boarding.

Thai AirAsia chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld yesterday said the offer was primarily aimed at creating “excitement” in the Thai and regional tourism markets.

If you are travelling to asia ensure you take out travel insurance over 80 to all destinations, particularly if you are a senior.

The free seats will raise the carrier’s load factor from Jan 3 to May 8, 2011, when travel under the promotion is permitted, said an industry source.

It is the fourth new airline to join the airport this year and currently flies three daily flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.

The airline is now the third airline to be based at the Budget Terminal, and despite offering a promotional one way fare of $31 all in for its Malaysian destinations, Firefly has been careful to avoid the traditional associations of budget airlines.

Managing director Eddy Leong pointed out that unlike many no-frills budget airlines, Firefly offers services such as a free baggage allowance of up to 20 kg, complimentary in-flight refreshments and allocated seats.

FIrefly hopes to be viewed instead as a ‘community airline’.

Air Asia now flies to the UK from KL and offers the long haul cramped seat experience.

The service to London Stansted, which is London’s main budget airport, is due to start in March. Everyone is hoping that they have more success than Oasis Hong Kong who went bust last year.

The magazine, SmartTravelAsia, based its finding on a survey between May and July on low-cost carriers (LCC), SpiceJet said in a press statement on Monday.

The survey also said the airline has made its mark by maintaining schedules, competent service and extensive route network and access.

The chief commercial officer of SpiceJet, Samyukth Sridharan, said the airline has been able to attract fliers by keeping fares affordable and introducing exciting schemes besides expanding its network.

“Our on-time performance is among the best in India at 82 percent and technical dispatch reliability of 99.6 percent makes us an airline with least cancellations,” said Sridharan.

The budget airline, Mihin Lanka, has been dogged with financial trouble since it began commercial operations last April.

“They (Mihin) don’t have an aircraft to fly passengers since the beginning of this month,” Sri Lanka’s civil aviation chief, Parakrama Dissanayake told AFP.

Mihin’s last aircraft, an Airbus A321 taken on lease, was reclaimed by its Bulgarian owners at the end of April, as the airline was unable to make payments, an airline industry source, who declined to be named, said.

South African budget airline Nationwide stopped operations with immediate effect Tuesday because of financial problems.

The company has a fleet of 17 planes which mainly cover domestic and short haul routes, with flights to London three times per week. It was not immediately clear how many passengers were stranded.

“Our cash-flow has become critical and as a result we have decided to voluntarily cease all flight operations until further notice,” Nationwide chief executive Vernon Bricknell said in a statement carried by the South African Press Association.

The bankruptcy filing by Oasis stranded thousands of passengers in Hong Kong, London and Vancouver, British Columbia. Many of the would-be passengers stuck in Hong Kong are children trying to return to British boarding schools after going home for the spring break.

High jet fuel prices have taken a heavy toll on the airline industry and particularly on budget carriers trying to compete on price with low profit margins. The other three to shut down since March 31, all in the United States, are Aloha Airgroup, ATA Airlines and Skybus Airlines.