Malaysian budget airline AirAsia is looking to expand its network connectivity in Hong Kong as it considers a potential listing next year to capitalise on the city’s status as a major financial and investor hub.

The airline’s owner, Capital A Berhad, announced in May that a potential secondary listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange was part of its strategy to broaden access to global capital markets.

It said the move followed a meeting with Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, in which Capital A was invited to explore the possibility of listing in the city to access deeper pools of global and mainland Chinese investors.

The firm said discussions were ongoing and it was close to appointing an international investment bank to advise on the proposed listing structure and timeline.

Amanda Woo, group chief commercial officer of AirAsia, told the Post that the carrier was looking to expand its network in Hong Kong because it served as an important strategic transit hub.

“Hong Kong complements AirAsia’s strategy to build a more connected and accessible network across Asia … We see strong potential in the Hong Kong market,” she said.

“Apart from being a strong point of sale market, it is also a strategic transit hub – enabling, for example, our fifth freedom route between Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Okinawa which has been well received since its launch.”