KUALA LUMPUR: Budget carrier AirAsia X said on Monday (Apr 6) that it remained set on opening a planned hub in Bahrain in June, though the airline’s chief executive was non-committal on whether the plans would go ahead if the Middle East conflict drags on.
AirAsia X in February unveiled plans to resume flights from Kuala Lumpur to London via the Bahrain hub, its first outside Asia, with services due to begin on Jun 26.
That announcement, however, came before United States and Israeli airstrikes on Iran later that month, which disrupted aviation across the Middle East, with many airlines cancelling routes to avoid airspace in the region.
AirAsia X chief executive Bo Lingam told a press conference that the Bahrain service would definitely go ahead if the war ends before June, but declined to say if it would proceed in the event of a protracted conflict.
“Anything’s possible,” he said when asked if the airline would pursue alternate routes to Europe, such as via its existing flights to Turkey.
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