AirAsia Reveals the Reasons Behind Terminating Direct Jakarta-Singapore and Jakarta-Bangkok Flights.

Jakarta – AirAsia has revealed the reasons behind the removal of direct Flights for the Jakarta-Singapore and Jakarta-Bangkok routes from the Airline's booking system.

AirAsia Group CEO Bo Lingam stated that this decision forms part of the company's network optimization strategy, rolled out amid elevated operational costs and shifting market demand.

“First, yes, one of the drivers behind this direct flight cancellation is indeed our network optimization work,” Lingam stated during a hybrid press conference accessed from Jakarta on Monday, 22 June 2026.

According to Lingam, AirAsia has adjusted its flight network over recent months in response to surging aviation fuel prices, global Geopolitical Conditions, and changed demand patterns across multiple international routes. Prior to this move, the AirAsia group had already cut overall flight capacity and suspended routes deemed no longer economically viable to operate.

Lingam explained that several routes had to be temporarily discontinued due to weakened passenger demand, or because global geopolitical circumstances had driven operational costs unacceptably high.

“Every other route we have cancelled was also pulled due to falling demand, or spillover impacts from the ongoing conflict. That said, the Jakarta-Bangkok route may be reactivated within the coming months,” he added.

He further stated that AirAsia expects to gradually restore flight capacity alongside the downward trend in global Jet Fuel Prices that has begun to emerge over the past several weeks.

For the Jakarta-Singapore route specifically, Lingam highlighted prohibitive operating costs at Changi Airport as the core factor making direct flights commercially unworkable.

Per Lingam's figures, airport fees and levies in Singapore amount to approximately 72 Singapore Dollars per individual passenger.

“For Jakarta-Singapore flights, the Singapore airport tax alone is 72 Singapore Dollars. That is completely unreasonable. We have raised this issue with Changi management repeatedly. We cannot viably price this route when the airport tax costs more than the actual base airfare. That is the core reason we have discontinued the direct Jakarta-Singapore service,” he explained.

Despite implementing these network efficiency and optimization measures, Lingam confirmed that this restructuring will not meaningfully impact domestic flight operations for Indonesia AirAsia.

“This adjustment will not fully affect Indonesia AirAsia domestic services. Any routes we cut are only those that became unworkable due to extreme fuel prices, or routes that were already unprofitable even before the global conflict began,” Lingam was quoted by state news agency Antara.

AirAsia's direct Jakarta to Singapore and Bangkok services first disappeared from the airline's public booking system over the preceding weekend. As of this announcement, the airline's official website only offers one-stop travel options for both destinations, with all passengers transiting through Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.