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MALAYSIAN airline AirAsia will officially discontinue its direct Singapore-Jakarta route starting July 1, 2026. Previously, Indonesia AirAsia operated one direct flight daily between Singapore and Jakarta. However, starting early July, this service will be discontinued as part of the airline’s network adjustments.
As reported by The Straits Times, passengers traveling to Jakarta from Singapore on AirAsia services will be transferred to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before heading to the Indonesian capital.
This means that flights that previously took less than two hours will now take more than 10 hours, depending on the length of the transit at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
According to AirAsia X Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bo Lingam, AirAsia is optimizing its network by reallocating capacity to better-performing routes.
He also explained that higher jet fuel prices due to the war in the Middle East had prompted him to reduce some flights.
“The company is leveraging its transit services through Kuala Lumpur and other hubs to more efficiently capture demand,” Bo Lingham was quoted as saying by The Strait Times, Monday (06/29), 2026.
The flight suspension is a sign of Indonesia AirAsia’s shrinking footprint in Singapore. According to AirAsia’s website, its Indonesian subsidiary has suspended 36 international and domestic flight routes.
Aviation analyst Brendan Sobie noted that before the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesia AirAsia was the fifth-largest foreign airline operating at Changi Airport. At its peak in 2018 until July 2023, the airline operated 13 daily flights connecting Singapore with various cities in Indonesia.
However, its operations have steadily shrunk in recent years. OAG Aviation data shows that Indonesia AirAsia operated 104 flights from Changi Airport to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in June 2025. This number dropped drastically to just 30 flights in June 2026.
Monthly seat capacity also declined, from an average of around 36,000 seats in 2025 to just 5,400 seats in June 2026. This downward trend accelerated after Indonesia AirAsia discontinued its direct Singapore-Bali flights in April 2026. [sources/photo special]
