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For Immediate Release AIRASIA X AND FLIGHT CENTRE FORGE KEY SUPPLIER AGREEMENT SEPANG, 2nd June 2015 – AirAsia X, the long-haul low-cost carrier, an affiliate of AirAsia Group has signed an agreement with The Flight Centre Travel Group (FLT) to strengthen its distribution channel in Australia.  The agreement is the airline's first in Australia and will see FLT and AirAsia Group work together proactively to promote the airline's fares, create new and unique offerings for customers and grow the outbound travel market. Benyamin Ismail, acting CEO of AirAsia X said, "AirAsia X sees solid growth opportunities in Australia and is focussed on reinforcing the benefits of the strength of our network across Asia to over 100 destinations including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Japan, South Korea, India and many more." "By working more closely with FLT, we can highlight our offerings to the company’s extensive customer database and proactively promote to travellers across all of the company's brands and sales channels, particularly its 1000 retail travel shops. "This brand diversity is important because the traditional low cost carrier (LCC) model is evolving and gaining popularity among a broader customer base. "While budget conscious travellers often look to LCCs, we are also seeing increased interest from other demographics, including those who are looking to save on the flight component of their holidays and spend more on accommodation." AirAsia Group co-founder and AirAsia X Group CEO, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun said, ”AirAsia and AirAsia X’s low cost model has provided direct access for many first time travellers to experience overseas travel, but we also recognise the importance of entering strategic partnerships with established retail leaders like FLT in countries such as Australia.” Executive General Manager of Flight Centre Australia, Melanie Waters Ryan said "AirAsia Group has a strong network and its key destinations - including Bali, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur and Krabi - are among the most popular holiday destinations for FLT's customers and Australian travellers in general," Flight Centre Australia executive general manager Melanie Waters-Ryan said. "We look forward to working more closely with the AirAsia team and believe this relationship will deliver tangible benefits to both companies and to the travelling public in general. The agreement will see FLT gain access to AirAsia's full product range via an application programming interface (API) into the Global Distribution System.