"We have always asked for, just two flights (a day) to enable us to have a true hub," AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes said in a statement.

In May, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said the lucrative air route between Malaysia and Singapore was unlikely to open up before the end of 2008.

AirAsia operates from a dedicated low-cost terminal at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, south of the capital Kuala Lumpur which it hopes to turn it into a regional low cost hub.

Fernandes also pressed Idris Jala, Malaysia Airlines' managing director, to support open competition in the industry.

"That is the only way forward for all of us. Protection is not the way," he said.

The money-spinning Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route is operated by national carriers Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines.

The two flag carriers account for 85 percent of traffic on the short route, with a round-trip ticket departing from Singapore costing around 450 Singapore dollars (298 US) including taxes.

AirAsia has been among the most vocal in campaigning for access to the route, with Fernandes proposing one-way tickets from 60 dollars.