AirAsia X has postponed its planned return to the London market until next year, citing prolonged geopolitical instability in the Middle East that has disrupted its plans to establish Bahrain as a hub linking Southeast Asia and Europe.
The Malaysian low-cost carrier had planned to launch daily Airbus A330 service between Kuala Lumpur and London Gatwick (LGW) via Bahrain on June 26, marking its return to the UK more than a decade after withdrawing from Europe. The airline subsequently delayed the launch to Aug. 27 following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East and has now pushed the start date back to March 2027.
Bahrain is intended to serve as AirAsia X’s first hub outside Asia, enabling the airline to combine local traffic with connecting passengers traveling between Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
The route formed part of a broader partnership with Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications, under which the carrier plans to develop the Gulf state into an intermediate hub supporting future expansion into Europe.
AirAsia X exited London and Paris in 2012 after citing high fuel prices, rising UK taxes and weak yields, despite reporting load factors above 80% on its European services. Since then, the company has repeatedly identified London as the carrier’s highest priority long-haul destination.
The planned Gatwick service would have become the airport’s only link to Kuala Lumpur and the first scheduled service between the two cities since 2012. It would also have complemented AirAsia X’s return to Europe through Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, which resumed in late 2025.
The Malaysia-UK market continues to be served nonstop from London Heathrow, where British Airways operates daily Boeing 787-9 flights to Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia Airlines serves the route 2X-daily using Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
The LGW delay comes as AirAsia X has also extended the suspension of its Kuala Lumpur-Tashkent service, which has been canceled since the start of June. Additionally, Thai AirAsia will temporarily suspend nine domestic services from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport until Oct. 1. Routes affected include Chiang Rai, Krabi and Udon Thani.
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