SEPANG – AirAsia X (“the Group”) formally welcomed Tan Sri Jamaludin as the independent non-executive chairman, as the Group outlined its strategy for navigating rising fuel costs and growing uncertainty across global aviation markets. Under Tan Sri Jamaludin’s leadership, the Board brings the independent oversight and long-term perspective critical to the Group as it enters a period of renewed focus and growth.
Despite the increasingly complex operating environment, the Group remains confident in its resilient business model, strong ASEAN network, and the region’s long-term growth. It continues to see solid travel demand and remains committed to strengthening Kuala Lumpur as its main hub for seamless, affordable regional connectivity.
AirAsia X also reaffirms its commitment to developing Bahrain as a key strategic hub, connecting travellers between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The service is scheduled to commence on 26 June 2026, with optimism that the conditions in the region will normalise by then. In the meantime, the Group has proactively reallocated capacity towards stronger-performing and higher-yielding routes, such as Almaty (Kazakhstan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), and Istanbul (Türkiye), to capture displaced demand, whilst also exploring opportunities to further develop our key domestic hub in Senai, Johor Bahru.
Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, independent non-executive chairman of AirAsia X said: “I’m excited to be joining AirAsia X, especially after the recent consolidation of all the seven airlines, short-haul and medium-haul, into one large cohesive group. While we are experiencing a period of global uncertainty, we are entering this phase from a position of strength. The Group’s fundamentals are solid, supported by a lean and disciplined cost structure, a resilient ASEAN-focused network, and robust Fly-Thru connectivity that allows us to respond quickly to market changes.
“I look forward to working closely with my fellow Board members, Bo and the AirAsia X management team to ensure operational agility and sound governance, as we continue to build on the strong foundation that has been laid. The current challenges extend beyond the airlines as it involves all players in the aviation ecosystem, but it provides an opportune time for us to work closely with our partners to strengthen the competitiveness of the industry and to emerge from this period better positioned for long-term growth. We continue to explore the possibilities of expanding our aircraft orderbook and additional leased aircraft, which will support our expansion plans and strengthen our ability to serve even more destinations.”
Tony Fernandes, advisor to AirAsia X added: “Tan Sri Jamaludin’s distinguished leadership and deep governance expertise are pivotal to AirAsia X as the unified airline group embarks on a new chapter. His leadership brings the governance depth and independent oversight that our Board upholds, complementing the strength of our management team. I have full confidence that under his chairmanship, AirAsia X will continue to perform and deliver better value and reliability to our guests, partners and investors.
“At the same time, the strength of Capital A ecosystem continues to provide its resilience to aviation – removing costs while driving higher revenue, where AirAsia MOVE has redoubled its sales and connectivity efforts, ADE continues to optimise and reduce the cost base, and AirAsia NEXT leverages its strong tech capabilities and extensive database to maximise aviation sales.”
Bo Lingam, group CEO of AirAsia X said: “While we are operating in an increasingly challenging environment, we are seeing strong demand across our Asean destinations, which demonstrates the resilience of our network and the growing appetite for regional travel. This reinforces our focus on Kuala Lumpur as a key aviation hub and its position as a global low-cost carrier (LCC) megahub, connecting travellers seamlessly and affordably across the region.
“Amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and supply chain disruptions, global jet fuel prices have surged to more than double 2025 levels. In response, we have implemented carefully calibrated fare adjustments, including a one-off fuel surcharge across the network. We are optimising our network, reallocating capacity to stronger-performing routes and leveraging our Fly-Thru connectivity via Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok to capture demand efficiently.
“We are also actively negotiating with our key partners and stakeholders to contain costs across our operations. As we progressively reactivate our full fleet, our unit cost will improve, and the strengthening ASEAN currencies also act as a natural buffer against USD-denominated expenses.”
