The airline is negotiating the lease of two Boeing 777s to resume the Gatwick flights from June. Air Asia X abandoned the UK route in 2012, having first tried to run it from Stansted, beginning in 2009.
The carrier then used a four-engine Airbus A340 and was a victim of rising fuel prices. For its new venture, the less thirsty Boeing 777-300ER will be used until new ultra-fuel efficient Airbus A330-900s are delivered in 2019.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Air Asia group chief executive Tony Fernandes confirmed that the carrier would return to London this summer.
Fernandes also said that Air Asia X’s joint venture in Thailand would start Bangkok-Frankfurt flights this summer. He is quoted as saying that low fuel prices could mean fares as low as €150.
The news comes as the carrier receives clearance from US authorities to begin flights there, making it the first Asian budget carrier to do so.
