AirAsia will place an order for fifty A321-200NY(XLR)s and has rights to convert an additional twenty units. The airline plans to establish “virtual hubs” in regions including the Middle East, Europe, and East Asia, with delivery of the first aircraft anticipated between 2028 and 2032.
Tony Fernandes expressed that the new aircraft order will facilitate a transition to a low-cost, narrowbody network carrier. The carrier aims to enhance its connecting traffic while maintaining a strong focus on point-to-point operations from secondary airports.
Fernandes revealed ongoing negotiations for further aircraft orders, which would complete AirAsia’s network strategy.
Tony Fernandes shared: “A narrowbody obviously gives us a lot less risk in terms of certain routes, and gives us the opportunity to go to many more destinations that we couldn’t have gone to before because the 380-seat [A330] aircraft would be limiting. So it’s really transformative. With one stop somewhere in the Middle East, we can fly to most of Europe and all of Africa. Because of aircraft shortage, we had to cut short our African experience.”
