AirAsia X reaffirms Bahrain plans amid global volatility

AirAsia X is banking on the Middle East soon returning to normal and has confirmed plans to develop Bahrain as a key strategic hub, connecting travellers between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. 

The service is scheduled to commence on June 26, with the budget airline expressing optimism that  conditions in the region will normalise by then. 

The AirAsia group today also announced increased capacity to strong-performing and higher-yielding routes, such as to Almaty (Kazakhstan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and Istanbul (Türkiye), aiming to capture displaced demand.

Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AirAsia X said: “While we are operating in an increasingly challenging environment, we are seeing strong demand across our Asean destinations, which demonstrates the resilience of our network and the growing appetite for regional travel. 

"This reinforces our focus on Kuala Lumpur as a key aviation hub and its position as a global low-cost carrier (LCC) megahub, connecting travellers seamlessly and affordably across the region.

“Amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and supply chain disruptions, global jet fuel prices have surged to more than double 2025 levels. In response, we have implemented carefully calibrated fare adjustments, including a one-off fuel surcharge across the network. 

"We are optimising our network, reallocating capacity to stronger-performing routes and leveraging our Fly-Thru connectivity via Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok to capture demand efficiently.

“We are also actively negotiating with our key partners and stakeholders to contain costs across our operations. 

"As we progressively reactivate our full fleet, our unit cost will improve, and the strengthening Asean currencies also act as a natural buffer against USD-denominated expenses.”