Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia has just started selling a flight from Kuala Lumpur to London Gatwick. This interesting new flight doesn’t even fly direct – it goes via Manama, Bahrain, breaking the 14h 40m flight into a 7h 40m flight and a 7h flight. This flight will be operated by one of the airline’s A330s.
While AirAsia X’s A330s are in an uncomfortable 9-abreast configuration in economy, their Premium Flatbed must be one of the most compelling Europe-Asia options, especially if you’re looking to fly in comfort on the cheap. The introductory pricing is below what you’d get on most airlines in premium economy, while providing a flat bed.
On another note, AirAsia is selling the Bahrain to London segment separately, also with competitive pricing. This means that there’s now another fifth-freedom route within Europe, which is pretty cool.
AirAsia starts flights from Kuala Lumpur to London Gatwick…via Bahrain
AirAsia will begin flying from Kuala Lumpur to London via Manama, Bahrain on June 26, 2026. This flight will be operated by an A330, and feature business and economy class (business class will be the airline’s Premium Flatbed product). This service will operate daily.
While AirAsia has a few A330 configurations, the one they’re using for this flight seems to be the one with 12 business class seats and 365 economy class seats.
AirAsia A330 Interiors
First of all, oh my goodness that A330 economy cabin looks tight. I flew Cebu Pacific on their 9-abreast A330 in 2024, and even with nobody next to me I noted that the seats would probably be uncomfortable for a longer flight. Spending 16 hours on this A330 sounds like a recipe for disaster, especially without WiFi and only some limited streaming entertainment available.
I will say, however, that their business class seems to be a very compelling option to get between Kuala Lumpur and London. A one-way flight for me cost MYR 2,999 (£563/HK$6,012), and this comes with a flat bed, meals, and Plaza Premium lounge access at Kuala Lumpur. The flight back is more expensive at MYR 4,361 (£819/HK$8,742), which is due to the UK Air Passenger Duty tax.
Also, as a slightly irrelevant aside, I’m fascinated by AirAsia’s meal choices, which you can pre-order at time of booking (you get one free meal in Premium Flatbed per segment). They remind me of my experience on the now-defunct Jetstar Asia, which was delicious. The meal choices on both segments are identical.
The flight schedule is as follows:
AirAsia 972 Kuala Lumpur – Bahrain dep. 22:00 arr. 00:40+1
AirAsia 972 Bahrain – London Gatwick dep. 02:05 arr. 07:05
AirAsia 973 London Gatwick – Bahrain dep. 10:25 arr. 18:55
AirAsia 973 Bahrain – Kuala Lumpur dep. 20:55 arr. 09:55+1
AirAsia will compete with British Airways and Malaysia Airlines on the route. Malaysia Airlines doesn’t do premium economy, so AirAsia’s Premium Flatbed will compete with British Airways’ premium economy onboard their 787s – offering a lie-flat seat, though with a stop in Bahrain. Obviously, in economy, AirAsia heavily undercuts their competitors, with a one-way flight from Kuala Lumpur to London costing a mere MYR 699 (£131/HK$1,401) from Kuala Lumpur to London, and MYR 1,469 (£276/HK$2,944) back.
AirAsia is selling Bahrain-London as a fifth-freedom flight
The fun thing is that AirAsia is selling the Bahrain-London flight, which means that a fifth-freedom flight has now entered the market. AirAsia is the third carrier to operate the Bahrain to London route – Gulf Air flies there from both Heathrow and Gatwick, whereas British Airways only flies from Heathrow.
Economy flights are going for MYR 397 (£75/HK$796), and Premium Flatbed flights are going for MYR 1597 (£300/HK$3,201) from Bahrain to London. The economy flight in the other direction costs MYR 705 (£132/HK$1,413), and interestingly, the Premium Flatbed product is priced at MYR 4,361 (£819/HK$8,742) on the return segment, being exactly the same as if you were to fly all the way to Kuala Lumpur.
You’ll be able to buy the London-Bahrain segment on its own
Could there be more low-cost airline premium cabin presence between Europe and Asia?
In terms of low-cost carriers that operate premium cabins between Europe and Asia, Scoot and T’Way Air are currently the only carriers to do so. Scoot operates their 787s with ScootPlus between Singapore and Athens, as well as between Singapore and Vienna. T’Way Air flies between Seoul and a few destinations including Frankfurt, Rome, and Barcelona. That’s in contrast to the transatlantic scene, where Norse, LEVEL, Eurowings Discover, French Bee, etc. all operate with premium cabins.
I’d love to see more low-cost airlines operate between Europe and Asia with premium cabins, as potentially it could bring some fares down in the market and bring some options to those who frequent the route. For example, Japanese low-cost airline ZIPAIR and Korean hybrid carrier Air Premia operate lots of flights between Japan/Korea and the U.S. and Canada, though I’d love to see them expand more into Europe.
I’d love to see more low-cost airlines expand their operations within Europe, and I’d want to try them in their premium cabins
Conclusion
AirAsia is operating a flight between Kuala Lumpur and Gatwick, using their A330s. While economy looks tight (but is priced very competitively), I’m most interested in their Premium Flatbed cabin, which offers a premium economy price between East Asia and Europe, but in a flat bed. I’m also intrigued by the new fifth freedom route option between London and Bahrain, and can’t wait to try this product out in the future.
Consider this part of the list of premium products I really want to try.
Would you take this AirAsia flight between Kuala Lumpur to London via Bahrain?
