AirAsia Group is going all in with the A321neo. The airline has signed a deal with Airbus to convert its remaining A320 orders to the larger, more fuel-efficient A321neo.
The decision to convert its remaining 13 undelivered A320 aircraft means the low cost airline group now has a total order of 362 A321neos, it announced on October 5, 2021.
The aircraft are due to be delivered up until 2035, and will be allocated among the group’s airlines, depending on demand.
The A321neo aircraft will replace AirAsia’s current fleet of A320 family aircraft. At present, the group’s fleet is made up of 211 aircraft, comprising 169 A320, 38 A320neo and 4 A321neo.
“The A321neo will revolutionise the flying experience for our guests as we accelerate our business to meet a resurgence in air travel post-COVID-19,” Bo Lingam, President (Airlines) of AirAsia Group.
AirAsia’s A321neos will seat up to 236 passengers in a single class layout. That’s 50 additional seats compared to the A320. It also offers more cargo space, and 10% fuel savings, the airline group noted, promising to pass on the resulting lower costs to customers in lower fares.
Lingam also said the group was seeing a lot of pent-up demand for travel, expressing confidence that its airlines would recover strongly once travel restrictions are eased.
“We are set to return stronger and more robust in a post-COVID world,” AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes commented. Fernandes added that logistics venture Teleport was back to pre-pandemic levels and growing faster than before.