AirAsia X Withdraws From Gatwick.

12/01/2012

After only four months at Gatwick Airport, AirAsia X have announced that they will be withdrawing their services. They have also said they will no longer fly from Paris, meaning that they will no longer operate anywhere in Europe.

The airline have blamed the ‘exorbitant’ fees levied against them by Britain specifically, and Europe generally. Originally AirAsia X had operated from London Stansted, they were lured to Gatwick by the promise of low landing fees during the quieter Winter months, however, this discount has been cancelled out by the rise in APD, and more recently the inclusion in the EU ETS.

AirAsia X offered a budget long-haul service, as such the margins for profit are very small. Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X said that the route would be terminated because of continued high fuel prices, a drop in demand and government imposed charges. Gatwick Airport released a statement saying: "We are very disappointed to be losing AirAsia X, which has been operating a direct route from Gatwick to Kuala Lumpar since October last year… (There is) clear evidence that the burden of additional taxation in all its forms is a material consideration for long haul airlines flying to the UK".

The flights will cease at the end of March, before the rise in APD. If you have flights with AirAsia X before then, and have not yet booked your airport parking at Gatwick, click here.