Middle East instability delays AirAsia X's London launch
By Josh Wood Mon Jul 27, 2026
AirAsia X has pushed back its Kuala Lumpur to London Gatwick service until March 2027. The route was due to launch on 27 August 2026 with a stop in Bahrain, flown by an Airbus A330-300. The airline confirmed the deferral in a statement on 24 July, citing prolonged geopolitical instability in West Asia. This is the second delay to the route, with AirAsia X originally planning to commence on 26 June 2026.
CEO of AirAsia X, Benyamin Ismail, said the carrier took "the difficult decision to defer the commencement" of the service after reviewing the unstable operating environment. He said Bahrain remains part of the long-term network strategy and that the revised date depends on operational and market conditions. Safety remains the top priority of the airline.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a Conflict Zone Information Bulletin on 14 July, advising airlines to avoid the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates at all altitudes. Missile and drone attacks, activated air defence systems and the risk that military aircraft defenders misidentify civil aircraft are the main reasons for the bulletin, effective until 29 July.
The commercial risk to AirAsia X’s new route runs deeper than it appears as it holds fifth-freedom rights on the Bahrain–Gatwick route, which allows it to sell that sector as a standalone ticket rather than just a flight with a fuel stop. One aircraft therefore serves two markets, allowing other aircraft to be deployed across its network. Bahrain sits in the middle of the routing, so the closure of that airspace takes the entire Kuala Lumpur-to-London operation with it.
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Other Middle Eastern routes remain suspended
AirAsia X joins a long list of carriers that have suspended Gulf operations since the conflict escalated again in early July. British Airways has suspended Bahrain, Dubai, Tel Aviv and Amman services through to late October, and permanently ceased Jeddah. Cathay Pacific changed its restart date to Dubai and Riyadh to 25 and 26 October, and Qatar Airways has suspended flights to Bahrain, Kuwait and Erbil. Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia have cancelled individual Bahrain and Kuwait sectors on a day-by-day basis through July.
Bahrain appears in that list consistently, which is why it matters for AirAsia X more than the headline suggests. The carrier wants to build the airport into a hub, right when established operators are withdrawing from it.
Middle East carriers saw passenger demand fall 46.6 percent in April 2026, a collapse large enough to bring global demand down 3.4 per cent for the month. IATA Director General Willie Walsh pointed to the regional war as the primary cause. However, not every carrier is retreating as Air France resumed Riyadh on 24 July and restarts Dubai on 28 July, making it the first major European operator returning to the region. Turkish Airlines has already restored Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Beirut and Amman as these serve as large connecting markets for the airline.
The real results will come when AirAsia X starts the route and if passenger confidence in the region regains. IATA’s latest results show that passengers are not willing to fly over, or near, an active conflict zone.
AirlineRatings will continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East and AirAsia X’s route, and bring you up-to-date and factual updates.
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