AirAsiaX, the long haul subsidiary of Malaysia’s AirAsia, said on Monday it was looking at restoring flights to Tehran, describing Iran as a “massive” opportunity, and planned to resume services to London and Paris if costs made sense, Reuters reported.
The budget airline, which is Asia’s largest low-cost carrier, had suspended its services to Tehran in 2012 due to what they called “challenging economic and business conditions including the volatility of the Iranian rial.”
Speaking at the CAPA Iran Aviation Summit in the Iranian capital, Chief Executive Benyamin Bin Ismail said: “We flew to Tehran in the past but had to stop due to sanctions. We are looking to come back and are exploring it again.”
“(AirAsia co-founder) Tony (Fernandes) sees markets like this as an opportunity ... I think Iran is going to be massive for us,” Bin Ismail said.
AirAsiaX previously flew A340 jets to London and Paris but halted the service due to high oil prices.
“London and Paris are still in the plans,” Bin Ismail said. “We have options but need to make sure it doesn’t devalue our yields and that the costs make sense for us.”
