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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian low-cost airline AirAsia X said on Thursday it has postponed the launch of its planned service via Bahrain until at least August due to the conflict in the Middle East.
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AirAsia initially planned to commence the route in June, linking Kuala Lumpur to Bahrain and onward to London’s Gatwick airport. It said in a statement it now expects the service to start in August or September, subject to market conditions.
• The airline said affected passengers would be offered refunds or rescheduled bookings.
• The budget carrier said it remains committed to opening a hub in Bahrain but needed to take a “measured approach”.
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• “Bahrain continues to play an important role in our long-term growth plans and regional connectivity strategy, and we remain focused on launching services to both Bahrain and London Gatwick when the operating environment is better aligned with our operational and commercial objectives,” AirAsia General Manager Benyamin Ismail said.
• AirAsia has been hard hit by volatile jet fuel prices, posting a quarterly net loss earlier this year as it was forced to cut 10% of flights and introduce a surcharge of about 20% on fuel.
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(Reporting by Danial Azhar and Rozanna Latiff; Editing by John Mair)
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