NAIROBI, Kenya – AirAsia X, the long-haul subsidiary of Malaysia’s low-cost carrier AirAsia, will suspend its direct service between Kuala Lumpur and Nairobi from September 1, 2025, citing weaker-than-expected demand.
The route, launched in November 2024 with four weekly flights, was the airline’s first and only entry into East Africa and the sole direct air link between Malaysia and the African continent.
Its closure marks a setback for efforts to strengthen commercial, tourism, and diplomatic ties between Southeast Asia and East Africa.
The service had been hailed as a potential game-changer for regional travel, with the Kenya Tourism Board backing joint marketing campaigns to boost uptake.
AirAsia X had also explored possible expansions to Dar es Salaam, Cape Town, and Cairo.
But industry analysts note that long-haul, low-cost routes remain particularly difficult to sustain, especially in markets where aviation infrastructure and passenger volumes lag behind global averages.
“For budget airlines like AirAsia X, profitability on long, thin routes is a major challenge,” an aviation expert told Y News, noting that Africa’s air travel remains expensive, underdeveloped, and dominated by legacy or foreign carriers.
The withdrawal leaves a significant connectivity gap for travellers and dampens prospects for closer economic and cultural exchanges between Southeast Asia and Africa.
It also raises doubts about the viability of other proposed long-haul, low-cost ventures linking the two regions.
