KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's low-cost carrier AirAsia announced an expansion of its connectivity to southwest China on Friday with a new direct route from Kota Kinabalu to Kunming.

The four weekly flights starting on Nov. 30 will connect Kota Kinabalu, capital city of Malaysia's Sabah state, to Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province.

It marks the airline's latest route into Kunming after Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand.

AirAsia Malaysia chief executive officer (CEO) Riad Asmat said the airlines will also double its flights from Kota Kinabalu to China's Shenzhen from Nov. 1.

"We have carried more than 700,000 passengers travelling between China and Kota Kinabalu, and we are confident this new route will further boost visitor arrivals," he added.