AirAsia Malaysia (flight code AK) commemorated its inaugural flight from Kota Kinabalu to Fukuoka via Taipei. The maiden flight from Taipei to Fukuoka recorded an impressive full load factor of 100 percent, while its return flight recorded more than 80 percent to Taipei, marking the airline’s first venture into the Japanese market.
Flight AK1510 took off from Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 7:40 am on 15 August 2025 and landed at Fukuoka International Airport at 3:15PM (local time) on the same day. To double up the significant milestone, guests onboard flight AK1510 bound for Taipei-Fukuoka were warmly sent off by Dato’ Captain Fareh Mazputra, CEO of AirAsia Malaysia together with its lively crew during its technical stop at Taipei.
The launch of this brand new fifth-freedom route marks a significant milestone for AirAsia, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening Sabah’s connectivity and positioning Kota Kinabalu as a key regional hub. This new service not only allows travellers from Sabah to explore destinations beyond Asean but also opens up opportunities for guests from Taipei to discover the hidden gems of Fukuoka, fostering greater tourism and economic exchange across the region.
Bruce Chen Ph.D, Consul General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Fukuoka said: “I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations on the launch of AirAsia Malaysia’s inaugural route to Japan, connecting Fukuoka and Kota Kinabalu via Taipei. This new service not only enhances the convenience of travel between Japan and Taiwan through increased flights on the Fukuoka–Taipei sector, but also offers excellent connectivity between East Asia and Southeast Asia on a daily basis. I am confident that this will further promote tourism, business, and cultural exchange across the three cities and their respective regions. I sincerely hope this route will contribute to greater people-to-people exchange and international cooperation among our three countries. With these wishes, I offer my warmest congratulations.”
Dato’ Captain Fareh Mazputra, CEO of AirAsia Malaysia said: “We are pleased to launch our first ever fifth-freedom route from Taipei to Fukuoka, highlighting an important milestone for AirAsia as we expand our footprint into Japan. This route not only reflects our continued commitment to growing Kota Kinabalu as a strategic hub in East Malaysia, but also provides greater travel flexibility for our guests across the region. We are confident that this new connectivity will stimulate tourism and business opportunities between Kota Kinabalu, Taipei and Fukuoka, while offering our guests more value and convenience at affordable fares.”
Shinji Tagawa, Representative Director and President & CEO Fukuoka International Airport Co., Ltd. said: “We are truly honoured that AirAsia Malaysia has chosen Fukuoka for its first route to Japan. We are continuously enhancing our capabilities as an international hub through terminal expansion and the addition of a second runway. This new route will offer a new travel option not only for passengers in the destination cities, but also for people in Fukuoka and across Kyushu. We expect it will contribute to stronger ties in tourism, business, culture, education, and many other fields.”
Syaliza Abd. Aziz, Director of Tourism Malaysia in Japan congratulated AirAsia on its expansion, “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to AirAsia Malaysia on the launch of this new route connecting Fukuoka, Taipei and Kota Kinabalu. This expansion serves as a valuable bridge that strengthens the ties between Japan and Malaysia, opening up greater opportunities for cultural exchange and tourism. This launch comes at a perfect time as we look forward to Visit Malaysia 2026. We sincerely thank AirAsia for making this meaningful connection a reality.”
AirAsia Malaysia (flight code AK) will operate daily flights on this new fifth-freedom route using the Airbus A320 family narrow-body aircraft (including A320neo) with a maximum capacity of 186 seats, including 42 Hot Seats.
Travellers from Kota Kinabalu can now conveniently access Fukuoka with all-in one way fares starting from RM679*, while flights from Taipei to Fukuoka are available from as low as TWD2,990* all-in one way. Return flights from Fukuoka to Kota Kinabalu start from JPY23,990* and fares for Fukuoka to Taipei sector are available from JPY15,900*, all-in one way.
