AirAsia Eyes Africa, Europe, US Route Expansions

‍DALLAS — After a major restructuring, the Asian low-cost carrier (LCC) AirAsia (AK) plans to expand its reach beyond Asia.

The regional budget airline group is focused on global expansion. FlightGlobal states that AK is considering introducing flights to Africa, Europe, and the United States by 2030. This expansion is part of its network growth strategy for the next five years.

According to Asia.Nikkei.com, Tony Fernandes, CEO of AK’s parent company Capital A, says that the LCC intends to expand into Africa and other Western nations.

"By 2030, we should be covering the world," Fernandes said during a news conference, highlighting the LCC’s ambitions to expand its network beyond Asia to include emerging African nations and developed Western nations.

First Africa Route Announced

In June this year, a representative from AK attended the AviaDev conference in Windhoek (WDH), Namibia, sparking interest in AK’s intentions. Shortly afterward, the LCC announced that it would introduce flights between Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and Nairobi (NBO) on November 15. The route will be operated four times a week using an Airbus A330-300 aircraft that can seat up to 377 passengers.

According to Sustainability in the Sky, Air Asia’s Chief Commercial Officer, Paul Carroll, is also exploring flight options to South Africa. He noted that Cape Town (CPT) and Johannesburg (JNB) were on the cards. 

“We are still negotiating this but hope to have the flights in place by the fourth quarter of 2025,” Carroll said.

AirAsia’s new NBO service marks the carrier’s first foray into Africa, despite operating flights to nearby islands, including Maldives (MLE) and Mauritius (MRU). In 2016, the LCC introduced scheduled services from KUL to the Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius. However, AK terminated the route in 2017, deciding to redeploy the aircraft in more profitable markets.

Developed Western Nations

AirAsia has previously operated long-haul flights to various points in Europe. It operated flights to London’s Stansted (STN) and Gatwick (LGW) airports as well as Paris Orly (ORY). Today, there is a lack of budget carriers flying between Europe and Asia, except for Singapore’s Scoot (TR), which flies between Singapore (SIN), Berlin (BER), and Athens (ATH). Norse Atlantic (N0) will offer seasonal flights between Olso (OSL) and Bangkok (BKK) next year. 

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted global travel, forcing most airlines to cut routes and decommission various aircraft. A number of airlines scrapped wide-body aircraft, viewing them as no longer necessary in light of declining passenger demand at that time. 

However, given the renewed desire to travel and the rising demand for flights, coupled with a lack of low-cost options between Asia and Europe and Asia and the United States, Air Asia is now looking at expanding operations into places like Europe, where opportunities exist. 

AirAsia is reportedly considering introducing services from points in Asia to the United States. The airline has not previously operated flights into the United States. Initially, AK was exploring routes on the West Coast of the United States. However, it would need to secure widebody aircraft suitable for operating these services. 

Fernandes says that AK will look at Chinese aircraft as it considers expanding into these new markets.