Low price provider AirAsia plans to open a Gulf hub this 12 months and lengthen its flight community with a give attention to locations in Japanese Europe. The corporate’s CEO, Tony Fernandes, stated he has held talks with authorities officers from Gulf states on the latest Paris Air Present about organising a regional hub. AirAsia has not determined which Gulf airport it can name residence, but it surely has been increasing its connectivity to the area in recent times. Final month, it introduced it might add new routes, connecting Kuala Lumpur to Riyadh and Dammam, in addition to growing companies to Jeddah.
As a part of the brand new technique, Mr. Fernandes stated AirAsia plans to make use of its upcoming Center Japanese hub to launch companies to cities throughout Japanese Europe, in addition to secondary locations in Western Europe reminiscent of Cologne, Manchester, Glasgow, and Dublin. With a powerful emphasis on Japanese Europe, locations within the former Yugoslavia current a possible alternative for AirAsia’s enlargement from the Gulf. At the moment, Sarajevo is the best-connected metropolis within the area to Gulf states, providing seventy weekly scheduled flights this summer season. It’s adopted by Belgrade with 25 weekly companies and Zagreb with fourteen. Ljubljana, Dubrovnik, and Tivat additionally preserve scheduled operations to the Gulf area.
AirAsia has a historical past of engagement with markets within the former Yugoslavia. In September 2012, the airline submitted a proposal to the Serbian authorities for the takeover of nationwide provider Jat Airways. The supply included a whole fleet renewal that includes two A330s, eight A319s, and twelve A320s, together with the launch of long-haul companies to Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, the US, and Canada. The proposal additionally envisioned the overhaul of Belgrade Airport’s Terminal 1 and the development of an airport resort. Regardless of being signed personally by Mr. Fernandes, the federal government by no means formally responded. It’s believed that the state was already in superior negotiations with Etihad Airways on the time, which went on to amass a 49% stake in Jat the next 12 months. That very same 12 months, AirAsia additionally expressed curiosity in buying a 49% stake in B&H Airways after Turkish Airways withdrew from the partnership. In 2020, AirAsia X, the group’s long-haul unit, deliberate to launch common constitution companies between Bangkok and Zagreb, however the route was by no means realized as a result of outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
