AirAsia establishes AirAsia Bahrain board of directors
AirAsia Group established (01-Nov-2026) the AirAsia Bahrain board of directors, consisting of the following members:
- Serra Kirdar as chairman;
- Fam Lee Ee as vice chairman;
- Non-executive directors:
- Faisal Khalid Kanoo;
- Nawaf Al Zayani;
- Akram Safa;
- Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon;
- Jamaludin Ibrahim.
The appointments build on a Letter of Intent signed between Capital A and Bahrain's Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications in Nov-2025, and AirAsia's announcement in Feb-2026 positioning Bahrain as its Middle East hub, as previously reported by CAPA. Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes stated: "Bahrain is strategically important to us as the gateway connecting ASEAN with the Middle East, Europe and beyond", adding: "While the geopolitical situation in the region has required us to adjust our initial plans, our commitment to Bahrain has not changed". [more - original PR]
Background ✨
AirAsia X planned to launch daily Kuala Lumpur-Bahrain-London Gatwick services with A330s from 26-Jun-2026, positioning Bahrain as its "first global hub", with Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes citing improved Asia-Middle East-Europe connectivity and OAG showing it as sole scheduled operator on Kuala Lumpur-Bahrain.1 AirAsia X later postponed the start to Aug/Sep-2026, with GM Benyamin Ismail linking timing to market conditions.2 AirAsia then cancelled the route, citing prolonged geopolitical instability in West Asia.3