Taipei-Kuala Lumpur airline competition surging

Malaysia Airlines announced that from July 2, it is increasing its Taipei-Kuala Lumpur flights from three to five per

week, while Air Asia, a Malaysia-based budget carrier, has also

scheduled five weekly flights between the two cities, starting July 1, and is using Airbus A330s on the route. With four carriers now operating on the route, travelers between the two cities have a choice of 22 flights per week.

The Taipei-based China Airlines and EVA Airways have been offering regularly scheduled flights between Taipei and the Malaysian capital for many years.

Industry sources said local tour agencies are hoping to spur a wave of travel to Malaysia this summer, taking advantage of Air Asia's entry into the market, in bid to boost the ailing air travel industry, which has been hit hard by the spread of swine flu and by the global financial crunch. Air Asia is the third low-fare, no-frills airline to serve Taiwan since the Singaporean JetStar Asia Airways and the Philippines-based Cebu Pacific Air began operations in the country.

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