PETALING JAYA: AirAsia X Bhd
(AAX) announces its goal to re-establish its position among the lowest-cost airlines globally for 2026 and to build the foundations of the world’s first low-cost network carrier.
The aviation group said this will be driven by disciplined network deployment, targeted fleet investments and structural cost efficiencies.
Releasing its results for the fourth quarter (4Q25) and the financial year ended December (FY25) yesterday, AAX saw net profit jump by almost 3.5 times year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM78.6mil, underpinned by a 5.6% growth in revenue to RM872.3mil.
For the full FY25 however, bottomline decreased 16.3% y-o-y to RM191.7mil, despite a slight 2.5% rise in turnover to RM3.3bil.
It was unclear what was the reason behind the FY25 slide in profits, but AAX said the improvement in 4Q25 numbers compared to 4Q24 was primarily driven by higher fare charged on ticket sales and ancillary revenue.
Stronger revenue and ancillary contribution also contributed to AAX’s performance sequentially, with topline improving 14.6% from RM803.5mil, while net profit close to tripled from RM27.8mil.
The group did not declare dividends for FY25.
AAX said it will continue to fortify its market leadership in key hubs and core domestic and international markets.
“In our home base of Asean, we expect to maintain our domestic market leadership in Malaysia and Thailand. Within Asia, the group is deepening its presence in North Asia, including the announced return of Kuala Lumpur-Busan services from June 2026 - opening up new, exciting markets supported by our upcoming long-range narrow-body fleet,” it added.
Beyond Asean, AAX said it is positioning Bahrain as a strategic virtual hub connecting Asia with the Middle East, Europe, which includes the newly announced Kuala Lumpur-Bahrain-London service commencing in mid-2026, marking the group’s return to the United Kingdom and its first European hub outside Asean.
It said these initiatives support the evolution towards low-cost network carrier model with enhanced FlyThru connectivity, integrating multi-hub scheduling and deeper traffic flows across the network.
On fleet and costs, with the majority of aircraft now reactivated, AAX said its emphasis is shifting from reactivation to optimising fleet mix, utilisation and unit costs, as it plans to accelerate the replacement of older aircraft with newer, more fuel-efficient models supported by an enlarged orderbook.
These will be carried out while finalising additional aircraft orders to further optimise fleet planning and reduce unit costs over time.
“Against a backdrop of ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, we will continue to closely monitor foreign exchange and fuel price volatility.
“The recent appreciation of the Malaysian ringgit and Thai baht, together with stronger funding and operating platform, provides additional support for sustaining a disciplined cost structure, while the group continues to prioritise reliable operations, accessible fares and sustainable value creation for shareholders,” said AAX.
