AirAsia X has announced it will abandon plans to expand with new ultra long-haul routes to the U.S. West Coast and Europe. The carrier’s CEO, Tony Fernandes, confirmed the decision in a series of tweets last month.
Fernandes wrote: “We have decided that ultra long haul is not relevant now. Won’t get seduced into price wars over London.”
He added that the airline will concentrate on flights lasting around eight to nine hours, saying: “We will stick to the 8 or 9 hours. Our focus will be to Asia with the odd route like Hawai’i, which is actually 8 hours from Japan.”
“We let the full service guys fight it out over Europe. Many of them bleeding so so much,” he commented, highlighting the fierce competition and thin margins on longer intercontinental routes.
Azran Osman-Rani, a former CEO who left the company in 2015, previously identified the airline’s sweet spot as routes of roughly eight hours. In recent years, the carrier has focused on medium-haul services from Kuala Lumpur to destinations including Australia, Japan, South Korea and northeastern China. Although falling fuel prices have briefly renewed interest in longer sectors, the current leadership has opted to prioritize routes that better match the airline’s cost structure and market strengths.
By concentrating on flights within the eight- to nine-hour range, AirAsia X aims to avoid the intense competition and potential losses associated with ultra long-haul operations, while continuing to serve key markets across Asia and selectively adding destinations that align with its operational model.