AirAsia Appoints Bahrain Board, Targets Flight Launch by March 2027

AirAsia has appointed a board of directors for its planned Bahrain operation, reaffirming its commitment to establishing the country as a regional hub connecting Asia with the Middle East, Europe and Australia.

The AirAsia Bahrain board will be chaired by Serra Kirdar, with Fam Lee Ee serving as vice chairman. Other non-executive directors include Faisal Khalid Kanoo, Nawaf Al Zayani, Akram Safa, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon and Jamaludin Ibrahim.

The appointments follow a letter of intent signed between Capital A and Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications in November 2025, as well as AirAsia’s February 2026 announcement identifying Bahrain as its planned Middle East hub.

Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes said geopolitical developments in the region had required adjustments to the airline’s initial expansion plans. AirAsia is now targeting the commencement of flights to Bahrain by March 2027, subject to regional conditions.

Beyond passenger operations, Capital A plans to establish aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities in Bahrain through its Asia Digital Engineering subsidiary. The proposed facilities would support AirAsia and other regional carriers while developing local engineering and technical capacity.

Capital A’s logistics subsidiary, Teleport, has maintained twice-weekly freighter services to Bahrain since February 2026 and is expanding capacity through the introduction of larger freighter aircraft.

The Bahrain expansion forms part of AirAsia’s broader international growth strategy, with the country intended to serve as a connecting hub between its established Asian network and markets in Europe and the Middle East.

AirAsia has not disclosed an initial route network, aircraft allocation or confirmed launch date for the Bahrain operation.