SEPANG: AirAsia, Asia’s largest budget airline, is looking at the new longer-range Airbus A321 aircraft as part of its future fleet renewal programme.
“It’s early days but certainly (in) the ballpark.
“It’s certainly something we will discuss,” AirAsia group chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes told the New Straits Times.
AirAsia as a group owns 170 A320s of which its Malaysia operations own 80 aircraft, Thailand 47 aircraft, Indonesia 23 aircraft while Philippines and India owns 14 and 6 aircraft, respectively.
The single-aisle, twin-engine A321 is the largest member of the Airbus A320 family and can fly longer routes, for example from Europe to the United States’ East Coast.
Airbus said the aircraft accommodates 185 passengers in a two-class configuration while for charter and low-cost operators, the plane can sit up to 220 passengers.
In 2011, AirAsia made a record
order of 200 A320neo (new
engine option) planes worth US$178 billion.
The purchase made the budget carrier Airbus’s biggest airline customer for its single-aisle product line.
The airline placed an additional 100 A320s of which 64 A320neo and 36 A320ceo (current engine option) in 2012 with British Prime Minister David Cameron witnessing the signing of documents between Fernandes and Airbus president and CEO Fabrice Brégier.