MANAMA, Bahrain, 13 February 2026: AirAsia X (AAX) celebrated a massive milestone in the airline’s global expansion strategy with the announcement of two long-awaited international routes, connecting Kuala Lumpur to Bahrain and onwards to London Gatwick (KUL-BAH-LGW), at a press conference in Bahrain earlier this week.
The Bahrain-London sector will be AAX’s second fifth-freedom route, marking the airline’s expansion beyond its home base, Southeast Asia, which launched a new fifth-freedom service between Taiwan and Japan.
Capital A CEO and Advisor to AAX, Tony Fernandes, said: “This is a defining step in the next phase of AAX’s growth. Bahrain, as our strategic aviation hub, allows us to connect Asia with the Middle East and Europe more effectively while creating a scalable platform for future growth.”
Commencing on 26 June 2026, the new KUL-BAH-LGW route establishes Bahrain as AAX’s first global hub, strengthening its role as a key gateway between Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Leveraging Bahrain’s strategic location and aviation infrastructure, the KUL-BAH-LGW service is the first daily service to fly from Kuala Lumpur to London Gatwick. Malaysia Airlines operates a double-daily direct service to London Heathrow, and British Airways serves the direct route daily.
There is also competition on the Bahrain-London routes. Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national airline, offers double daily flights to London Heathrow and a three-weekly service to London Gatwick using 282-seat Dreamliner 787-9 aircraft. British Airways flies six weekly services between Bahrain and London Heathrow, deploying a B777 with 266 seats — round-trip fares on the BAH-LNR sector average USD890 and on the BAH-LGW route USD810.
AirAsia X will deploy an A330S, configured with 377 seats (12 Premium Flatbeds), on the new KUL-BAH-LGW route.
To celebrate the milestone, AAX is offering introductory first-come, first-served promotional fares from MYR99* and MYR199* all-in-one way respectively, from Kuala Lumpur to Bahrain and London, with subsequent fares starting from MYR299* and MYR399* on both sectors. Guests can also travel on the airline’s award-winning Premium Flatbed from MYR2,999* all-in one way on both sectors for an elevated in-flight experience. Flights are available for booking on the airline’s website and in the AirAsia MOVE app until 22 February 2026 for travel between 26 June and 30 November 2026.
Flight Schedule: Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and Bahrain (BAH)
Flight Schedule: Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and London (LGW) via Bahrain
(Source: AirAsia X)
