AirAsia Signs Deal for 14 Airbus Aircraft
Jakarta. Malaysian low-cost airline AirAsia has signed an agreement with Airbus at this year's Paris Air Show to order an additional 14 aircraft to meet faster than expected growth in the carrier's regional network in the coming years.
In a statement issued on Thursday (22/06), AirAsia said including the new order, it is adding 592 A320 aircraft to its fleet.
The airline operates 171 A320 current engine option (ceo) and eight A320 new engine option (neo) aircraft on routes in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, India and the Philippines.
"The demand remains high in places where AirAsia developed, while the airline's performance in Indonesia, the Philippines and India is extremely well," AirAsia group chief executive Tony Fernandes said in the statement.
"The robust demand has led us to expand our fleet, and Airbus as our dependable partner, has helped us get the slot," he said.
Fernandes said AirAsia is also actively sourcing aircraft from the leasing market to quickly meet the current demand while waiting for the new airplanes to arrive.
"The competitive environment is at its best, mainly due to the stable oil price. With the lowest cost in the world, AirAsia is back on aggressive growth," he said.
AirAsia's main Indonesian rival, Lion Air, earlier announced a deal to order 50 Boeing 737 Max 10 jets from the American aircraft manufacturer, in addition to an order for 201 jets it made in 2012.
The AirAsia order is part of business deals worth $39.7 billion Airbus made during the 2017 Paris Air Show, the France-based aircraft manufacturer said in separate statement.
Airbus won commitments for a total of 326 aircraft, including firm orders for 144 worth $18.5 billion and memoranda of understanding for 182 worth $21.2 billion.
"Our commercial success this week at Paris extends our already diversified order backlog to a new industry record," Airbus Commercial Aircraft chief operating officer for customers, John Leahy, said in a statement.
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