ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia X, which recently launched flights to Istanbul, is planning to establish more long-haul routes to Europe sometime next year, its CEO Benyamin Ismail told Reuters on Monday.
AirAsia X began flying direct to Istanbul from Kuala Lumpur on November 14.
The route marked a return to Europe for the airline, which underwent a corporate restructuring after its operations were hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic.
AirAsia X now operates four flights per week between Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur, offering more than 150,000 seats annually. It aims to ramp that up to daily flights between the two cities, Ismail told Reuters on the sidelines of a press conference in Istanbul.
Ismail said AirAsia X plans to connect Asia to European cities via Istanbul and will also introduce other long-haul routes to Europe as part of efforts to expand the airline’s footprint beyond Asia.
“At least one or two cities in one year,” he said.
He did not say which European destinations the company was considering.
(Reporting by Ceyda Caglayan; Editing by Daren Butler and Joe Bavier)
