KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 – AirAsia is reportedly working to position Kuala Lumpur as one of its major low-cost aviation hubs, mirroring the global connectivity achieved by Dubai,

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

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

“Bangkok has kind of a hub, Singapore obviously has, but these are premium hubs. No one has really done a low-cost hub.”

Fernandes added that AirAsia’s focus remains on flights between one-and-a-half and six hours long, a range he described as its “sweet spot.”

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

“We had five years of hell. But we’re back and we’re looking to grow,” he was quoted saying.

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

It now plans to implement a share capital reduction of US$1.4 billion (RM6.25 billion) to exit the Malaysian stock exchange’s financial distress list.

Fernandes noted that geopolitical tensions have driven more travellers to destinations within 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.