AirAsia X unveils Kuala Lumpur-Bahrain-London route, establishing Middle Eastern hub

Malaysia’s AirAsia X announced a new international route on Wednesday linking Kuala Lumpur to Bahrain and onward to London’s Gatwick airport, in the latest step in the budget airline’s global expansion efforts.

The service, set to commence in June, would make Bahrain AirAsia X’s first hub outside Asia, leveraging its location to connect Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe, the company said in a statement.

The move comes as Asia’s largest low-cost carrier last month completed the acquisition of the short-haul aviation business from parent Capital A, unifying the group’s seven airlines under a single banner.

This also marks a return to the British capital more than a decade since non-stop flights from Kuala Lumpur to Gatwick and Stansted airports were suspended and its long-haul Airbus A340 jets retired. The Kuala Lumpur-Bahrain-London route will be serviced by AirAsia X’s A330 fleet, as part of its efforts to expand international operations.

The airline launched flights from Kuala Lumpur to Istanbul in November.

Malaysia-based AirAsia X, with a network spanning more than 150 destinations and a fleet of 255 planes, has been exploring options to refinance about $600 million in debt.

Reuters reported last month, citing industry sources, that Airbus was nearing a major deal to sell around 100 of its smallest A220 jets to AirAsia, with an option for an additional 50.

The airline group’s co-founder Tony Fernandes said last June the airline was ready to broaden its fleet by acquiring smaller planes to support new destinations, while AirAsia X Deputy Group CEO Farouk Kamal last month said it was considering ordering a further 150 jets.

AirAsia, one of the European planemaker’s biggest customers, operates an all-Airbus fleet and has more than 350 A320-family narrow-body jets already on order.

Last July, it agreed a provisional order for 50 longer-range A321XLR aircraft.

Founded in 2001 with just two aircraft, AirAsia spearheaded the development of low-cost carriers in Southeast Asia.

However, pandemic travel restrictions dealt a severe blow to its parent Capital A, which was classified as financially distressed under Malaysia’s PN17 framework.

Fernandes, who is also CEO of Capital A, said in a statement last month that the group had finished its PN17 regularisation plan.

The consolidation of all AirAsia-branded aviation businesses under AirAsia X is expected to help the airline focus on expanding operations and reducing costs, while Capital A concentrates on reviving its finances.