Airline is weighing up to 150 Airbus A220s against Embraer E2 jets while preparing a Bahrain hub and a Kuala Lumpur–London service via the Gulf

Potential order for around 100 aircraft would mark AirAsia’s entry into the smaller narrowbody segment and follows extended discussions

Potential order would make the Malasian carrier the first foreign operator of the Chinese aircraft

Malaysian low-cost carrier signed MoU with Airbus for up to 70 ultra-long-range aircraft on Friday

The European planemaker's exclusive customer, the airline has more than 250 planes from the manufacturer, but Embraer is said to be in the running with the E2

Only 14 of the homegrown aircraft have been delivered, but the state-owned planemaker is already in talks with potential customers in Indonesia, Cambodia and Kazakhstan