AirAsia X bets on Bahrain as new global gateway

Malaysian long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X announced plans on Wednesday to resume flights between Kuala Lumpur and London, this time routing the service through a new hub in Bahrain.

The route, scheduled to begin in June, will make Bahrain the airline’s first operational hub outside Asia. The move is designed to connect key markets across Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe, leveraging the extended range of new-generation narrow-body aircraft.

The London return comes more than a decade after AirAsia X suspended its non-stop Kuala Lumpur–London flights and retired its Airbus A340 fleet. C

o-founder Tony Fernandes said Bahrain could evolve into a strategic gateway linking underserved secondary cities across Asia, Africa and Europe.

The expansion follows the group’s recent consolidation under parent Capital A, bringing seven affiliated airlines under a unified structure.

Fernandes highlighted the importance of the Airbus A321XLR, an extra-long-range narrow-body jet that he said would enable AirAsia X to extend its low-cost model beyond Asia into intercontinental markets.

While the airline will operate in a region dominated by major Gulf carriers such as Emirates and Qatar Airways, Fernandes downplayed direct competition, positioning AirAsia X as a budget-focused alternative targeting a different segment of travelers.