Global 'no-frills' aviation alliance in the offing
02-01-2007
Low-budget airlines Virgin and easyJet are to collaborate with AirAsia to create the world's first global no-frills network, according to press reports.
The new joint venture could initially fly between Kuala Lumpur and Manchester, and between Amritsar in India and the London hubs of Stansted and Luton.
Ultimately the alliance would seek to eventually offer cheap flights within Asia as well between Europe and Australia via Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian Star newspaper reported.
AirAsia, which launched in 1996, has 50 planes and flies to Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
A spokesperson for the company fuelled speculation by saying that a "huge announcement" would be made on Friday.
he transport minister will be attending the event in Kuala Lumpur at 10:00 (02:00 GMT) on Friday... It's about a new service," the Reuters news agency reported her as saying.
Neither Virgin nor easyJet have confirmed the reports. Shares in easyJet rose by 2.69 per cent during early morning trading.
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