Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia this week placed the largest single firm order for the Airbus A220 in the type’s 10-year history.
The airline committed to buying 150 A220-300s, Airbus officials announced Wednesday. AirAsia does not currently own or operate any A220s; its existing fleet is built around A320-family aircraft.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Airbus said AirAsia will be the launch customer for the A220’s new cabin configuration, which comes with 160 seats. The previous layout had 150 seats.
The new jets will serve destinations across Southeast and Central Asia, AirAsia said, freeing up larger aircraft to fly longer routes. The A220 is also expected to help the airline limit spending on fuel.
“We have built AirAsia by making bold decisions at the right moment, not the easiest moment,” said Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A and an advisor to AirAsia. “This order reflects our long-term discipline and the scale of our ambitions. The A220 unlocks new markets and routes and brings us closer to building the world’s first true low-cost network carrier.”
This week’s purchase agreement pushes the A220 program past 1,000 firm orders, according to Airbus.
