Airlines AirAsia X orders 12 A330neo and 30 A321XLR

The AirAsia Group and Airbus have released, that the carrier will soon add 12 A330neos and 30 A321XLRs to its fleet. The contract was signed by Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, Chairman, AirAsia X Berhad and Guillaume Faury, Chief Executive Officer, Airbus in Kuala Lumpur.

This additional order originates from a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed in Farnborough this year. AirAsia X currently operates with over 35 A330s.

Guillaume Faury, Chief Executive Officer, Airbus commented: “AirAsia X has been the pioneer of the long-haul low-cost model in the Asia-Pacific region. This new order for the A330neo and A321XLR is a true endorsement of the Airbus solution to meet mid-market demand with a combination of single-aisle and wide-body products. This powerful solution will provide AirAsia X with the lowest possible operating costs to expand its network and enable even more people to fly further than ever before.”

Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, Chairman of AirAsia X Berhad, said: “Today’s announcement is testament to our confidence and commitment to longer haul air travel. This is the future of our long-haul operations. The A330neo’s revolutionary new features and modifications will move our long-haul service sectors up to a higher level and allow AirAsia X to look at expanding beyond the eight-hour flight radius, such as to Europe, for example.”

When all aircraft have been delivered, AirAsia X will use 78 A330neo aircraft. The carrier currently is the largest airliner customer for the state-of-the-art aircraft. The new A321XLR will help the airline to furthermore expand its international operations.

In August, subsidiary airline Air Asia X Thailand took delivery of its first A330neo. By the end of the year, AirAsia X will receive an additional A330neo.

The A321XLR was announced by Airbus on the Farnborough International Airshow 2019. The aircraft is capable of flying up to 4,700 nautical miles, 15% more than the A321LR (Long Range) is capable of. Compared to previous generation aircraft from competitors, the A321XLR will burn 30% less fuel per seat.

AirAsia is one of the largest airline groups in the world. It operates subsidiary airlines like AirAsia India, AirAsia Japan, AirAsia X, Indonesia Air Asia and Air Asia X, Philippines AirAsia and Thai AirAsia (X). Altogether, the fleet consists of 234 Airbus A320 Family aircraft and 38 A330s.