Air TransportAirAsia secures 50 A321XLRs, prepares to decide between A220 and Embraer E2
Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia’s plans to renew and expand its fleet began to unfold on Friday with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for up to 70 A321XLR aircraft with Airbus.
The preliminary agreement includes 50 firm orders and 20 purchase options, the airline said.
The orders, however, are expected to include a new fleet of jets with up to 150 seats. According to the company’s CEO, Tony Fernandes, the choice is between the A220 and the Embraer E2.
A new announcement is expected within a month, the chief executive of the carrier, which has undergone a financial restructuring process, revealed.
Single Airbus fleet
Despite the talks with the Brazilian manufacturer, Airbus is the clear favorite since AirAsia operates a fleet of aircraft from the European planemaker.
The AirAsia Group has branches in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand which, together with the Malaysian parent company, have 254 aircraft in their fleet, including 208 A320s (40 of which are A320neos), 18 A321s (15 A321neos among them) and 28 A330-300s.
The company has an order for 15 A330neos pending, but deliveries have been suspended.
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