A newly-merged AirAsia Aviation expects to relaunch flights to Europe by the end of this year, and is looking to expand its network to Africa, North and South America in the longer term.
Speaking on 8 January, chief executive of Malaysia-based Capital A Tony Fernandes says the airline group is now entering its “next stage” of network expansion, citing the airline’s soon-to-launch flights into Almaty in Kazakhstan.
“We are going to look at…Kazakhstan…Tajikistan and [other Central Asian countries]. Very soon, we will be announcing our very first route back into Europe…we hope to be in Europe by the end of this year, our first re-entry into Europe,” Fernandes says.
He was speaking after announcing the merger of AirAsia and AirAsia X, following Capital A’s divestment of its aviation businesses. The deal – still subject to shareholder and court approvals – will see AirAsia X acquire AirAsia Malaysia as well as AirAsia units in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines as well as Cambodia, to form AirAsia Aviation Group.
The merger “gives us much more flexibility” in its operations across South-east Asia, says Fernandes.
It is not the first time AirAsia has talked up a return to Europe: in June 2022, as global travel restrictions were easing off, AirAsia X teased a return to London, which it said it would fly to via Dubai.
AirAsia X first launched services to London Stansted in 2009 with fuel-guzzling A340-300s. High operating costs and pressure on yields forced the carrier to axe the route, alongside Paris Orly, by 2012.
Fernandes, who will be on AirAsia’s advisory board, says the carrier post-merger will pursue a multi-hub strategy. “For example Manila will be a very good hub to the USA, Thailand will be a great hub to Europe, and so on,” he adds.
“It really makes a lot of sense to merge the two airlines and have a powerful network,” says Fernandes.
