AirAsia may be close to placing an order for 100 Airbus A220 aircraft during, according to Reuters, which cited unnamed industry sources familiar with the matter.
According to these reports, the order could be announced during the Paris Air Show, which takes place in Le Bourget, June 16-22, 2025.
If confirmed, the order will be significant on a number of levels and not just because of its sheer size.
Firstly, it would represent the introduction of a new aircraft type to AirAsia’s fleet. The choice of the A220 is also interesting in that, at 100 to 150 seats depending on the variant, this aircraft model is smaller than any other aircraft currently operated by AirAsia. The airline group has an all-Airbus fleet made up of A320s and A321s (of both the ceo and neo versions), while its long-haul arm, AirAsiaX, operates A330s.
Secondly, this move would be even more remarkable because it bucks the trend which sees many low-cost carriers around the world upgauging their fleets with larger aircraft.
There has been some speculation that AirAsia intends to use the A220s to strengthen its regional network in Asia, flying to smaller destinations. During an event attended by AeroTime at AirAsia’s HQ at Kuala Lumpur (KUL) airport in January 2024, Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A, AirAsia’s parent company, shared his vision of a strong network in Asia feeding multiple long-haul hubs across the region.
Finally, such a large order would also represent a vote of confidence in the future of AirAsia, after a period of financial turbulence.
The COVID-19 pandemic threw the group’s finances into turmoil and forced Capital A to execute a thorough restructuring program of its airline subsidiaries. During this period, AirAsia was under the watch of the Malaysian financial regulators.
As AirAsia emerged from this period of crisis, Capital A decided to divest from the aviation businesses under its corporate umbrella and fold them into AirAsia X to form a consolidated airline group.
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