AIRASIA Incorporated, the Philippine-based affiliate of AirAsia Group, will have its first aircraft arriving at its Clark base in August.

Speaking on the sidelines of an Expedia-AirAsia event yesterday, Group CEO, Tony Fernandes, said existing routes from Clark would be operated by AirAsia, Inc. while four new routes were also being considered. Singapore and South Korea were cited as possibilities.

Flights would be operated by an all-Airbus fleet, which would comprise around two aircraft to start.

In addition, Fernandes said AirAsia's Vietnam affiliate would be launched shortly after its Philippine venture gets off the ground, adding that announcements will be made soon.

He also reaffirmed expansion plans in Japan despite the bleak situation there, sharing that Osaka was next on the list.

Said Fernandes: “We're very very committed towards Japan and looking to open routes to more cities. We're not cutting back flights, we're not cutting any expenditure.

“Travel is a great way to get away from some of the reality of what's going on. We've actually seen bookings increase...In terms of people going back to Japan, that's only a matter of time.”