AirAsia, voted the world's best low-cost airline for six consecutive years, is the only airline to carry passengers and cargo directly from Malaysia to Da Nang. — Photo AFP

DA NANG (Biz Hub) — The city's people's committee wants the service charge on AirAsia to be cut by 50 per cent to boost flights between Da Nang and Malaysia from January to December 2016.

The central city's committee has asked the transport ministry and the Viet Nam Civil Aviation Agency to reduce the service charge.

The city's secretariat said the priority policy aimed to help the budget airline maintain and increase the number of direct flights between the central city and Malaysia, as well as to launch new international flights in the coming years.

The city said the ministry had reduced the service charge for flight operations and the landing and taking-off fee by 50 per cent from August 2014 to July 2015.

According to AirAsia, the policy had helped to cut by 9.1 per cent the fee (US$424.5) for each flight, thus easing the airline's costs in operating its international flights to Da Nang.

AirAsia, voted the world's best low-cost airline for six consecutive years, is the only airline to carry passengers and cargo directly from Malaysia to Da Nang.

AirAsia Berhad's head of commercial operations Spencer Lee said, "This is our third destination in Viet Nam from Kuala Lumpur, and Da Nang is a burgeoning economic centre of Viet Nam, apart from being home to the two magnificent UNESCO Heritage Sites of the ancient city of Hoi An and Hue. Da Nang's position as a resort and leisure destination is also steadily growing among free and independent travellers (FITs) and families, with many beachfront resorts mushrooming in the city."

The budget airline has been operating four weekly direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Da Nang since 2014.

Da Nang receives 19 international flights. — VNS