Thai AirAsia X (XJ, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) will launch its first-ever long-haul service to the Middle East in December 2025, when it adds Riyadh to its network out of Bangkok Don Mueang.

The Thai low-cost carrier will also launch services to Almaty International and Sendai by the end of this year.

Effective December 1, 2025, the airline will begin 4x weekly services to both Almaty and Sendai. From December 2, it will also launch a 4x weekly service to Riyadh.

Sendai will become its seventh Japanese destination, while Almaty will mark Thai AirAsia X's debut in Kazakhstan, although sister carrier AirAsia X (D7, Kuala Lumpur International) has served the city since 2024.

"Our strategy moving forward is to open up new, high-potential routes in diverse aviation regions, especially in the Middle East, which are perfect for our A330 aircraft. Besides offering new experiences for Thais, we are confident that these three new routes will attract a significant number of international tourists to Thailand for the year-end season," the airline's CEO Pattra Boosarawongse said.

According to ch-aviation data, Thai AirAsia X currently operates to seven destinations: Delhi International, Nagoya Chubu, Osaka Kansai, Sapporo Chitose, Seoul Incheon, Shanghai Pudong, and Tokyo Narita. Services are flown with its fleet of nine A330-300s. The airline has also disclosed plans to add two more aircraft of the type in the fourth quarter of 2025.