AirAsia X launched daily service connecting Kuala Lumpur to London Gatwick via a stopover in Bahrain on June 26, 2026, marking the Malaysian long-haul carrier’s first UK route since 2012. The relaunch establishes Bahrain as AirAsia X’s first global hub outside Asia and gives travelers a new budget option on a corridor previously served only by nonstop full-service carriers.
Key Facts At A Glance
- Route: Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Bahrain (BAH) – London Gatwick (LGW), operated by AirAsia X
- Launch date: June 26, 2026
- Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
- Marks AirAsia X’s first UK service since the carrier withdrew nonstop London flights in 2012
- Schedule filings show the route launching at four-weekly frequency before scaling to daily from September 16, 2026
- Bahrain–London is AirAsia X’s second Fifth-Freedom route, allowing standalone ticket sales on that sector
- Introductory promotional one-way fares started from RM99 (Kuala Lumpur–Bahrain) and RM199 (Kuala Lumpur–London)
- Kuala Lumpur becomes the 15th Asian destination served from London Gatwick
- UK–Malaysia two-way traffic totaled approximately 492,000 passengers in 2025, with only about a third flying nonstop
A Long-Awaited Return
AirAsia X operated nonstop flights between Kuala Lumpur and London using Airbus A340 aircraft from 2009 to 2012, before withdrawing the route amid rising fuel costs and thinning margins. The carrier confirmed its comeback at a press conference in Manama, Bahrain, in February 2026, where Capital A advisor and co-founder Tony Fernandes described the move as part of a strategy to build Bahrain into a connecting point spanning Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe. AirAsia X Group Chief Executive Officer Bo Lingam called the relaunch “a significant milestone” for the carrier, adding that the new route would let UK travelers connect “seamlessly and affordably” to Bahrain, ASEAN destinations and beyond through the airline’s wider Fly-Thru network.
Bahrain As A Strategic Bridge
Because the leased Airbus A330-300s used on the route lack the range for a nonstop Kuala Lumpur–London operation, AirAsia X is routing passengers through Bahrain International Airport, where it has been building a dedicated hub since announcing the strategy in late 2025. The carrier holds Fifth-Freedom rights on the Bahrain–London sector, meaning it can sell that leg as a standalone ticket independent of the Kuala Lumpur connection, opening the route to Gulf-based travelers seeking lower-cost access to Europe. AirAsia is targeting an eventual 25 daily flights through Bahrain by 2030 and moving more than 20 million passengers over five years on routes linking Manama to its Asian network.
Schedule And Pricing
Flights were initially announced as daily from launch, but a schedule filing reported in late May 2026 revised the early frequency downward to four times weekly, with daily operations beginning September 16, 2026. The outbound Kuala Lumpur departure is scheduled for 22:00 local time, with onward arrival in London Gatwick the following morning after a transit in Bahrain. Promotional one-way fares were offered on a first-come, first-served basis from RM99 to Bahrain and RM199 to London, with subsequent standard fares set from RM299 and RM399 respectively; a Premium Flatbed lie-flat option is priced from RM2,999 one-way. Tickets went on sale in February 2026 for travel between June 26 and November 30, 2026.
Market Context
London Gatwick said AirAsia X is the eighth new airline to begin service at the airport in 2026, joining carriers including Jet2, Air Arabia and Air France as Gatwick expands its long-haul portfolio to 57 routes this summer, including 15 across Asia. Gatwick Chief Executive Pierre-Hugues Schmit said the new daily service would benefit holidaymakers, business travelers and the British-Malaysian community seeking options to visit friends and relatives. On the Malaysia–UK corridor, the Gatwick service joins existing nonstop flights from London Heathrow operated by British Airways and Malaysia Airlines, giving travelers a lower-cost alternative on a route where industry data shows only about a third of the roughly 492,000 annual two-way passengers currently fly nonstop.