AirAsia has supersized its fleet to lower fares with the conversion of 253 orders for the A320neo to the larger A321neo version.
The change will enable the airline to offer higher capacity in response to ongoing strong demand across its network and it will help the airline lower fares.
AirAsia becomes the world’s largest customer for the A321neo, which seats 50 more passengers than the A320neo in the airline’s high-density configuration.
In total, AirAsia has placed orders for 592 A320 Family aircraft. Following the upsizing, AirAsia’s backlog with Airbus includes 353 A321neo.
To date, the airline has taken delivery of 224 A320 Family aircraft, flying out of its bases in Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines and Thailand.
The A321neo is a member of the best-selling A320 Family incorporating the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver fuel savings of 20 per cent.
At the end of May 2019, the A320neo Family had received more than 6,500 firm orders from over 100 customers worldwide.
On Monday, as expected, Airbus launched a super fuel-efficient A321XLR version of its very successful A321neo.
Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines will be the launch customer for the type with four firm orders.
Airbus said that “following the very positive feedback from the market, Airbus has launched the A321XLR to complement its best-selling A321neo Family. The A321XLR thus becomes the next evolutionary step which responds to market needs for even more range, and creates more value for the airlines by bringing 30 per cent lower fuel burn per seat than previous-generation competitor aircraft.”
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Starting from 2023, the aircraft will deliver an unprecedented Xtra Long Range of up to 4,700nm – 15 per cent more than the A321LR and with the same fuel efficiency.
Airbus added: “With this added range, airlines will be able to operate a lower-cost single-aisle aircraft on longer and less heavily travelled routes – many of which can now only be served by larger and less efficient wide-body aircraft. This will enable operators to open new world-wide routes such as India to Europe or China to Australia, as well as further extending the Family’s non-stop reach on direct transatlantic flights between continental Europe and the Americas. For passengers, the A321XLR’s new Airspace cabin will provide the best travel experience, while offering seats in all classes with the same high-comfort as on long-haul widebody aircraft.”
