KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 – AirAsia would strive to position Kuala Lumpur as one of its major low-cost air hubs, mirroring the global connectivity achieved by Dubai,

According to its founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, the budget airline plans to route connecting passengers via the Malaysian capital and Bangkok, capitalizing on its network to serve destinations across Asia and beyond.

“What I am trying to do, and this will be the first time in the world, is to create a hub in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok like Dubai and Qatar,” he told the financial news site. Bloomberg.

“Bangkok has a sort of hub, as does Singapore obviously, but they are high-end hubs. Nobody has really created a low-cost hub.

Fernandes added that AirAsia still focuses on flights lasting one and a half to six hours, a range he described as its “sweet spot”.

After a setback during the Covid-19 pandemic, Fernandes reportedly said the company was now on track for a full recovery by 2025, projecting 2026 as a “golden year” for the industry.

“We lived through five years of hell. But we are back and we are looking to grow,” he was quoted as saying.

In an effort to stabilize its finances, AirAsia’s parent company Capital A Bhd has abandoned its IPO plans and will instead merge with its sister company AirAsia X.

It now plans to implement a US$1.4 billion (RM6.25 billion) share capital reduction to move off the Malaysian bourse’s financial distress list.

Fernandes noted that geopolitical tensions have pushed more travelers to destinations in Asia, boosting the company’s operations.

He also added that the airline has rehired all 2,600 employees laid off during the pandemic, bringing its current workforce to 23,000.