Capital A (formerly AirAsia Group) is considering establishing its Middle East hub in Bahrain and has signed a Letter of Intent with Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications.
It plans to position Bahrain as its regional base for aviation, engineering, and logistics to drive a global expansion plan. By 2030, it aims to obtain a Bahrain-based Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and operate narrowbody aircraft to the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and major European cities. The group targets more than 25 daily flights between Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Bahrain, and expects an estimated economic contribution of USD 8 billion over the next five years.
Asia Digital Engineering (ADE), Capital A’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) arm, will establish hangars capable of handling both narrowbody and widebody aircraft and build one of the fastest maintenance capabilities in the region, maximizing aircraft uptime. Teleport, its logistics arm, will also deploy dedicated freighters, making Bahrain its first major base outside Asia.
Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes commented, “This partnership is a game-changer. With the airline business restructuring nearing completion, Capital A and AirAsia together are poised to embark on a bold and innovative new chapter toward global growth. Bahrain will be a strong launchpad for us in the Middle East.”
