TOKYO: AirAsia Japan has filed for bankruptcy with the Tokyo District Court, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving 23,000 passengers without refund.
Last month, the Japanese subsidiary of the Malaysian AirAsia Group announced that it would be ceasing its operations.
AirAsia Japan became the first airline operating in Japan to go bankrupt during the Covid-19 pandemic. The airline said that its total liabilities were 21.7 billion yen ($208 million).
The value of 23,000 tickets to be refunded is estimated at 520 million yen, including tickets purchased by the travel agencies. In a statement, the airline said:
“Given AirAsia Japan’s current financial position, we regret to inform you that AirAsia Japan is currently unable to settle the outstanding refunds.”
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to customers who have used or booked AirAsia Japan flights.”
Instead of cash refunds, it was stated that customers could receive credits for other flights operated by AirAsia Group
