Malaysia's AirAsia X announced a new international route on Wednesday linking ‌Kuala Lumpur to Bahrain and onward to London's Gatwick airport, in the latest step in the budget airline's global expansion ​efforts.

The service, set to commence in June, would make Bahrain AirAsia X's first hub outside Asia, leveraging its location to connect ​Southeast Asia, ​the Middle East and Europe, the company said in a statement.

The move comes as Asia's largest low-cost carrier last month completed the acquisition of the short-haul aviation business from parent Capital ⁠A, unifying the group's seven airlines under a single banner.

This also marks a return to the British capital more than a decade since non-stop flights from Kuala Lumpur to Gatwick and Stansted airports were suspended and its long-haul Airbus A340 jets retired.

The Kuala Lumpur-Bahrain-London route will be serviced by AirAsia X's A330 fleet, as ​part of its ‌efforts to expand international ⁠operations. The airline ⁠launched flights from Kuala Lumpur to Istanbul in November.

Malaysia-based AirAsia X, with a network spanning more than 150 destinations and ​a fleet of 255 planes, has been exploring options to refinance about $600 ‌million in debt.

Reuters reported last month, citing industry sources, that Airbus ⁠was nearing a major deal to sell around 100 of its smallest A220 jets to AirAsia, with an option for an additional 50.

The airline group's co-founder Tony Fernandes said last June the airline was ready to broaden its fleet by acquiring smaller planes to support new destinations, while AirAsia X Deputy Group CEO Farouk Kamal last month said it was considering ordering a further 150 jets.

AirAsia, one of the European planemaker's biggest customers, operates an all-Airbus fleet and has more than 350 A320-family narrow-body jets already on order. Last July, it agreed a provisional order for 50 longer-range A321XLR aircraft.

Founded in 2001 ‌with just two aircraft, AirAsia spearheaded the development of low-cost carriers in ⁠Southeast Asia. However, pandemic travel restrictions dealt a severe blow to its ​parent Capital A, which was classified as financially distressed under Malaysia's PN17 framework.

Fernandes, who is also CEO of Capital A, said in a statement last month that the group had finished its PN17 regularisation plan.

The consolidation of all ​AirAsia-branded aviation businesses under ‌AirAsia X is expected to help the airline focus on expanding operations and ⁠reducing costs, while Capital A concentrates on ​reviving its finances.

(Reporting by Julie Zhu in Hong Kong; Editing by Jamie Freed)