AirAsia Orders 50 Long-Range Airbus Jets in $12 Billion Deal to Extend Global Reach
Photo Credit: Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim (center) at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes and Christian Scherer, CEO Commercial Aircraft, Airbus, in Paris. AirAsia
Skift Take
The A321XLR flies farther, burns less fuel, and doesn’t come with the high costs of bigger aircraft. AirAsia surely seems to be betting on smaller planes to do big things.
AirAsia on Saturday announced one of the biggest aircraft purchases in its history. The Malaysian budget carrier signed a deal worth $12.25 billion for 50 Airbus A321XLR jets, with options for 20 more.
The planes will start arriving in 2028 and keep coming through 2032.
According to Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia parent Capital A, the goal is to create "the world’s first low-cost network carrier," something that works like full-service airlines such as Emirates or Qatar Airways, but at a fraction of the cost.
"We pioneered low-cost travel in Asia – now, we are taking it to the next level," Fernandes said. "We gave people in Asean the opportunity to explore Asia – now we want the world to see Asean, and Asean to see the world. The A321XLR and A321LR are the game-changers enabling this vision."
News reports quoting Fernandes said the airline is in advanced discussions with aircraft makers for a potential
