Two fifth freedom routes for AirAsia
Bangkok to Okinawa via Hong Kong, Kota Kinabalu to Fukuoka via Taipei
Two fifth freedom routes for AirAsia
Bangkok to Okinawa via Hong Kong, and Kota Kinabalu to Fukuoka via Taipei
June 4th, 2025. A daily flight connecting Bangkok to Okinawa via Hong Kong launched on June 1st. Being fifth freedom means that the airline can sell tickets for both sectors, Bangkok to Hong Kong, and Hong Kong to Okinawa.
“Hong Kong is a key hub with great potential for connecting passengers to places like Okinawa, a beloved Japanese destination,” said Thai AirAsia’s CEO Santisuk Klongchaiya.
Flight number FD 518 departs from Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport at 08:10 and lands at Hong Kong International Airport at 12:00 where there will be a 55-minute stop. The journey continues at 12:55 and lands at Okinawa Naha Airport at 16:25.
The return journey, flight number FD 519, leaves Okinawa at 17:45 and returns to Hong Kong at 19:20. It departs for the final leg of the journey at 20:20 and arrives back in Bangkok at 22:15.
The flight is served by an Airbus A320 with the sector between Bangkok and Hong Kong lasting around two hours and fifty minutes and the journey between Hong Kong and Okinawa lasting around two hours and thirty minutes.
Kota Kinabalu to Fukuoka via Taipei
AirAsia Malaysia will launch another route that connects Kota Kinabalu with Fukuoka via Taipei will launch on August 15th.
Flight number AK1510 will take off from Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 07:40 and land at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport at 10:55 for a one-hour stop. It continues at 11:55 and lands at Fukuoka Airport at 15:15.
The return journey, flight number AK1511 will depart from Fukuoka at 17:00 and return to Taipei at 18:30 for a 45-minute stop. It will continue at 19:15 and finally touch down again in Kota Kinabalu at 22:50.
“With this new route, Sabahans now have more choices and flexibility when travelling to their preferred destinations, while supporting the state government’s vision of positioning Sabah as a top tourism destination”, said Dato’ Captain Fareh Mazputra, CEO of AirAsia Malaysia,
The journey between Kota Kinabalu and Taipei is around three and a half hours and Taipei to Fukuoka about two and a half hours and will also be on board an Airbus A320.
Picture: Thai AirAsia Airbus A320 by Laurent Errera via Wikimedia Commons
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