Malaysia-based low cost carrier AirAsia is looking to expand its flight destinations into Europe.
AirAsia has plans to establish an airport hub in the Arabian Gulf, giving it a stepping stone to resume European flights after a long absence.
It is eyeing one-stop flights from Kuala Lumpur to London Gatwick among other major cities.
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes said talks were held with government officials from some Gulf states recently, but no location has yet been decided.
“From there, Europe is a shorter distance," he told the Financial Times. "We can then start looking at those kinds of exciting, longer-haul fares, and start taking people around the world through a one-stop and multi-hop strategy."
The airline has tried non-stop flights to Europe previously, including to London and Paris, but found the high costs a negative factor.
Costs are a major factor in the Asia market with rival Jetstar Asia recently announcing it will shut down.
“I think destinations that decide that they’re premium are missing out on a big market," Fernandes added.
"We’re going back to the Ryanair strategy of looking at alternative airports to serve those markets.”
AirAsia currently only has about 8% of its passenger traffic taking connecting flights.
It hopes to significantly grow this.
“Airlines such as ours have just been point to point, but a shift could be a very, very profitable part of the business for us,” Fernandes said.
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