Malaysia’s budget airline AirAsia X has launched flights between Kuala Lumpur and the Japanese city of Sapporo, which is the airline’s third destination in Japan, after Tokyo and Osaka.

“Japan is one of our core markets in the Asia Pacific region and we are very proud to introduce another unique route connecting Kuala Lumpur and Northern Japan,” says CEO of AirAsia X Benyamin Ismail. “The healthy load factor of 90 percent for our inaugural flight and the growing forward bookings we have received give us confidence that this route will thrive. We are proud to be the connection between both cities and look forward to working with all relevant parties to draw in passengers from all over Asia, Australia and beyond to Sapporo.”

Guests can also make use of the optional Fly-Thru service via the AirAsia Group’s multiple transit hubs, so their baggage can be checked through to the final destination without the hassle of immigration clearance during transit. www.airasiax.com