AAX’s Maiden Flight To Nairobi Hits 90 Pct Passenger Load Factor 

NAIROBI (Kenya), Nov 16 (Bernama) -- Long-haul low-cost carrier AirAsia X Bhd (AAX) has made its inaugural direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Nairobi, Kenya on Nov 15, 2025, marking its first foray into East Africa with a nearly 90 per cent passenger load factor.

Chief executive officer (CEO) Benyamin Ismail said AAX’s four-day weekly Kuala Lumpur-Nairobi flight is currently the only direct flight connecting Malaysia and Africa.

He stated that at a 90 per cent load factor, this equated to approximately 278 passengers on board.

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The return flight from Nairobi to Kuala Lumpur experienced around a 75 per cent passenger load.

“The profile of the passengers from Kuala Lumpur to Nairobi saw Australians, Chinese, Malaysians, and Kenyans who came back home.

“While for the 75 per cent of passengers flying to Kuala Lumpur, up to 90 per cent were Kenyans,” he told a press conference here today.

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Benyamin said if the load factor maintains at around 85 per cent per trip, he is confident that the target of carrying over 156,000 travellers annually on this route can be achieved, or even exceeded.

On the acquisition of AAX’s sister company, Capital A Bhd’s airline businesses, Capital A co-founder and executive chairman Datuk Kamarudin Meranun said barring any unforeseen circumstances, the exercise is on track to be completed either by the end of this month or early December, as scheduled.

He said the company has gone through all the necessary processes, and it is now awaiting the court's approval of the proposed distribution to shareholders via capital reduction. 

In October 2024, AAX shareholders voted 99.08 per cent in favour of the proposed acquisition of Capital A’s entire equity interest in the aviation business within AirAsia Aviation Group Ltd (AAAGL) and AirAsia Bhd (AAB) for RM6.8 billion.

Following the acquisition, Kamarudin said the company will continue to explore and expand into more destinations moving forward, especially the underserved destinations. 

“We are always on the lookout,” he said.

Meanwhile, in his speech earlier, AAX chairman Datuk Fam Lee Ee said to date, AAX operates flights to more than 20 destinations from Malaysia.

“This new direct flight is more than just a connection between two cities, as it represents the strengthening of bilateral relations between Malaysia and Kenya, and we also see immense potential for mutually beneficial business collaborations for travellers in both nations. 

“We are confident that this new route will make it easier for businesses in Malaysia and Kenya to engage with one another, fostering trade and investment opportunities that will drive economic growth on both sides,” he said.

Also present were the High Commissioner of Malaysia to Kenya Ruzaimi Mohamad and State Department for Foreign Affairs of Kenya, director-general of Asia and the Pacific, Ambassador Jane Makori.

-- BERNAMA