AirAsia X (D7, Kuala Lumpur International) will launch daily flights between Kuala Lumpur International and London Gatwick via Bahrain International on June 26, 2026, as it aims to eventually base 100 aircraft in the Gulf state. Meanwhile, the carrier formally cancelled its A330-900N order in favour of long-range Airbus narrowbodies.

The South-East Asian LCC revealed a plan to serve the UK via a Middle Eastern stopover in 2025, and subsequently began recruiting in Bahrain in December. The new daily service will initially be operated with an A330-300 with fifth-freedom rights on the Bahrain-London Gatwick sector.

Speaking at the launch ceremony in Manama, co-founder and CEO of shareholder Capital A, Tony Fernandes, outlined a strategy to position Bahrain as a virtual hub connecting Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe. "The plan is to have many flights a day from ASEAN into Bahrain, and from Bahrain, we will build an airline that will fly to all over Africa and Europe," he said.

The group aims to base 100 aircraft in Bahrain over the next eight years, targeting 45 million passengers annually with a tentative 120-destination network. To facilitate this, a local entity, Bahrain AirAsia, is being incorporated. The company will shortly appoint a chairperson of the new unit.

Furthermore, Capital A's engineering arm, Asia Digital Engineering, plans to construct a 14-bay maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in Bahrain. The group is looking to build the MRO organisation in collaboration with Gulf Air and aims to attract European customers. The group's logistics subsidiary, Teleport, will also establish a notable presence in the country as its Middle Eastern cargo hub.

A330neo orders cancelled, 100 regional jets eyed

Meanwhile, Fernandes confirmed to Reuters a report that AirAsia X had cancelled its remaining order for fifteen A330-900Ns and intends to exit widebody operations entirely by the early 2030s.

Instead, the group expects to announce an order for approximately 100 regional jets, with options for 50 more, by March 2026. The airline is reportedly evaluating the A220 and E2 families.

No operator in the ASEAN region currently operates the A220, but Scoot has nine E190-E2s, which it has been adding since 2024, according to ch-aviation data.

AirAsia X plans to focus on long-range narrowbodies to replace the leased A330-300s. Fernandes stated the carrier is firming up an order for fifty A321-200NY(XLR)s, following a memorandum of understanding signed in July 2025.

Fernandes noted that the group would fund the acquisition through a mix of sale-and-leaseback deals and bank debt. It plans to shift toward owning more assets now that the airline has exited Practice Note 17 (PN17) financial distress status.