AirAsia Might Set Hub in Ras Al Khaimah or Saudi Arabia
Malaysian budget airline, AirAsia, is planning to strengthen air links between South-East Asia and the Gulf by opening a hub in the region.
The airline has shortlisted four airports, including the one in Ras Al Khaimah and another destination in Saudi Arabia, according to the airline's CEO, Tony Fernandes revealed in an interview with Dubai Eye radio channel on Monday, June 30.
He said, "But I can be very open that countries that are interested in us and [those] we are interested in … includes Saudi Arabia, [and] Ras Al Khaimah as well."
He also said, "Sharjah is well served by a very good airline, Air Arabia. And Dubai wouldn't be somewhere that we looked at. That's a big airport, a complicated airport."
The move comes as AirAsia recovers from a bankruptcy-like restructuring post-COVID-19. According to reports, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), is preparing to invest about $100 million in the Malaysian airline.
This would be the airline's second attempt to set up a hub in the Gulf region, after AirAsia pulled out of Abu Dhabi in 2010 because of some operational issues.
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