LONDON: AirAsia X’s inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur touched down at Stansted Airport at 2.36pm on Wednesday, marking Asean’s first low-cost carrier connecting Asia and Europe.
The Airbus A340 aircraft carrying 286 passengers made the historic landing 24 minutes ahead of schedule.
The passengers on board flight D7 2006 broke into applause as the pilot, Captain Adrian Jenkins, guided the plane to a soft landing after the 13-hour flight.
As the aircraft was being taxied to stand A12, the Duke of York Prince Andrew spoke briefly to the pilot via radio from the airport’s departure lounge.
When the engines were turned off, the captain and his crew proudly displayed the Malaysian flags and Union Jack from the port and starboard windows.
Happy landing: Prince Andrew greeting cabin crew members followed by Fernandes at London’s Stansted airport yesterday. Later, Prince Andrew, accompanied by AirAsia Bhd Group CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, British Airports Authority (BAA) Stansted managing director Stewart Wingate and BAA Stansted commercial & development director Nick Barton, to tour the aircraft.
Among the VIPs were Asean secretary-general Dr Surin Pitsuwan, British High Commissioner to Malaysia Boyd McClearly, AirAsia X chairman Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan and its CEO Azran Osman-Rani.
Also present was AirAsia deputy Group CEO Datuk Kamarudin Meranun.
Fernandes said the airline was at the beginning of realising its ambition of creating a daily shuttle between Europe and Asia. He also said there were 33 Malaysians and 90 Britons among the 240 passengers returning to Kuala Lumpur later that day.
The remaining passengers were from countries such as Estonia, Sweden, Austria, Slovakia, Australia and Holland.
Meanwhile, in Sepang, DHARMENDER SINGH reported that former Manchester United player David May and former Liverpool player Phil Babb, were among passengers on board the first AirAsia flight from London to Kuala Lumpur that arrived here yesterday afternoon.
“It is a 13-hour flight from London but I have no complaints over the level of comfort or the service. It was all great,” Babb said when met at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) here yesterday.
Babb and May are here to appear as special guests at the Stadium Viewing Party to be held at the Sunway Lagoon Amphitheatre tomorrow.
Tourism Malaysia International Marketing Division deputy director Maizan Ahmad and AirAsia officials were on hand to give them a warm welcome.
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