AirAsia X Expands Middle East Hub Strategy with New Bahrain Operations, Targets Morocco and Africa Expansion: Everything You Need to Know

AirAsia X Expands Middle East Hub Strategy with New Bahrain Operations, Targets Morocco and Africa Expansion
Meta Description: AirAsia X unveils Bahrain as its first Middle East hub, with plans to expand into Morocco and Africa. New flights to London start in June.
SEO Keywords: AirAsia X, Bahrain hub, Kuala Lumpur, London, Morocco expansion, African aviation, AirAsia X expansion, Middle East aviation, A330 routes, African destinations.
Geo Tags: Bahrain, Kuala Lumpur, London, Morocco, Africa, Maghreb, Egypt, Tanzania, Kenya.
AirAsia X Announces Bahrain as its Middle East Hub
AirAsia X, the long-haul subsidiary of Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia, recently announced plans to expand its network beyond Asia with the opening of a new hub in Bahrain. This is a milestone for the airline, as it will begin operating flights from Kuala Lumpur to London (with stops in Bahrain) in June 2026. The airline intends to cater to the growing demand for affordable long-haul travel between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
The move to set up Bahrain as its first hub outside of Asia aligns with AirAsia X‘s broader strategy to increase its presence in the Middle East and Africa. With a growing demand for air travel in the Middle East and Africa, AirAsia X’s focus on this region is expected to provide more travel options for budget-minded consumers and seamless travel options throughout the Middle East and Africa.
Expanding into Emerging Aviation Markets
AirAsia X is also in the process of repositioning its larger A330 aircraft to more lucrative routes, and with growing demand for long-haul travel in developing markets, the airline considers Bahrain to be the premier entry point for routes to Europe and Africa.
AirAsia X‘s co-founder Tony Fernandes considers Morocco and other African countries such as Egypt, Tanzania, and Kenya as important prospects for new AirAsia X business opportunities within the Maghreb region. Expanding to these destinations takes advantage of the rapid development of the region’s travel infrastructure and the growing demand for travel within the African continent, which is one of the world’s most rapidly growing travel destinations.
More Affordable Options for African and Middle Eastern Travel
AirAsia X, with its new hubs in Bahrain, is expected to offer value-based travel to major cities in Africa, such as Morocco, Egypt, and the countries of Tanzania and Kenya. With the region’s economic development, a value-based travel product is likely to meet the demand that arises from increased international trade and tourism.
Additionally, travel within and across the Middle East, Asia, and Europe will become easier, especially for those traveling to the Gulf region. Notably, the new London-Kuala Lumpur flights via Bahrain will allow travelers from Southeast Asia to Europe to travel with AirAsia X‘s low-cost travel options at their convenience.
Bahrain’s Role in AirAsia X’s Growth
With its ideal geographic positioning in three continents, AirAsia X can use Bahrain as a starting point for its operations. Bahrain International Airport will be the first of hopefully many hubs in the region, as AirAsia X will use them to fly customers to as many destinations as possible in its growing network in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Additionally, the choice for Bahrain as a starting point for operations strongly indicates that the country has a prosperous future in aviation, with its growing infrastructure, funding, and business partnerships with Europe and Asia.
Bahrain’s government has taken the approach of funding and developing its aviation infrastructure, and this will be to the direct benefit of AirAsia X, considering the expanding plans the airline has to grow in the Middle East and Africa. AirAsia X will use Bahrain to access the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and aviation markets in the Middle East, specifically the delineated markets of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.
AirAsia X’s Growing Fleet and Future Expansion Plans
AirAsia X has announced the acquisition of additional aircraft to cater to its growing operational needs. The larger A330 jets that the airline has ordered will be configured to service its longer sector routes. These particular A330 jets will service the high-demand routes such as the airline’s Bahrain to London sector and will start flights to/from Morocco, Kenya, Egypt, and Tanzania. These A330 jets will also be configured for the longest flight to/from Bahrain.
AirAsia X has also announced its intentions to grow its operational footprint in the geographically largest continent in the world (Africa), by increasing its operational fleet and exploring additional operational possibilities. The airline also plans to service all major airports in the African continent with particular focus on the north and sub-Saharan areas, as this will ease the movement of goods, people, and services, and expand business and tourism.
Morocco: A Major Target In AirAsia X’s Expansion Into Africa
An upcoming stop for AirAsia X in Africa will most likely be Morocco based on how the airline looks at Africa’s potential for airline growth. Since Morocco is considered the entry point for Europe and Southern Africa, AirAsia X is likely to be more aggressive in expanding its route network to include Morocco. With Morocco attracting more tourists every year and a growing middle class, AirAsia X plans to cater to the demand for low-cost travel to Morocco.
Morocco has great potential for AirAsia X due to the fact that both Morocco and AirAsia X are working towards the same goals. As AirAsia X seeks to provide low-cost, high-demand travel options, Africa will be better able to fulfill its goal of attracting more visitors from Asia, especially Southeast Asia.
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