Low-cost carrier AirAsia said today it will look at adding new destinations when it starts operating at Malaysia's new budget airline terminal.

"We have not touched India yet or China a lot," AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes said.

"It is hard to say but I would estimate (we will fly to) about four or five more destinations such as Vietnam, Myannmar (Burma) and Laos," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

He added that by the time the new budget airline terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport starts operations in the middle of next year, at least five or six of its new A320 Airbus planes will have arrived.

The new terminal is costing RM108 million and Malaysia hopes it will boost KLIA's standing as a regional transport hub.

60 new planes

The budget airline has ordered 60 Airbus A320s with an option for another 40 aircraft which will completely replace its current fleet of 28 single-aisle, 148-seat Boeing 737-300s.

Fernandes said at the moment, AirAsia would focus on Indonesia and China.

"We also have a lot of domestic flights to do and a lot of frequencies we want to add. We're launching our second flight (daily) to Macau and then more destinations to Indonesia and China," he said.

AirAsia, he added, also hoped to get approval to fly to Siem Reap in Cambodia and Brunei soon.

AirAsia was launched in December 2001 with just two aircraft and has since become a significant regional player, with its business model increasingly imitated by national carriers and a host of new low-cost entrants.

The airline covers most major cities in Southeast Asia.