Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia has placed a record-breaking order for 150 Airbus A220-300s, the largest single order for the twinjet, pushing the programme beyond 1,000 firm commitments.
The deal, reportedly valued at around $19bn, was announced during a ceremony at Airbus’s Mirabel facility in Quebec, Canada. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2028 and run through 2039.
AirAsia is the latest customer for the A220 and the launch customer for the newly configured 160-seat variant of the -300. Airbus said the capacity increase has been made possible by adding an extra overwind exit on each side of the aircraft.
Speaking about the deal, Capital A CEO and AirAsia Group advisor Tony Fernandes said the A220 will allow the carrier to unlock new markets and routes, serving destinations across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and into Central Asia. This will free up larger aircraft from the carrier’s Airbus fleet to fly longer routes.
Fernandes said: “Our partnership with Airbus spans more than two decades and has been central to everything we have achieved. Today is another milestone in that journey, and there are many more to come.”
Further milestones could include becoming the launch customer for the larger A220-500, a stretched variant that has long been mooted. Continuing its relationship with the European aircraft manufacturer, the AirAsia Group has also received its first Airbus A321LR. The aircraft, 9M-XVC (c/n 12902), was delivered to the group’s Malaysia’s subsidiary on April 30, and is the first of at least 62 examples the low-cost group has on order.
