17 June 2009

Air Asia X places Ã&#pound;1.34bn Airbus order

Low cost long haul carrier AirAsia X has unveiled a £1.34 billion aircraft order at the Paris Air Show.

The arm of AirAsia announced a firm order of ten Airbus A350-900s with an option for a further five aircraft.

The deal follows the airline’s start of flights between Stansted and Kuala Lumpur in March.

The new aircraft, due to be delivered between 2016 and 2018, will further complement AirAsia X’s fleet of A330s.

The move will also enable the carrier to realise its ambition of expanding its route network which includes London, Melbourne, Perth and Gold Coast (Australia) and Tianjin and Hangzhou (China).

AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes said: "Business is all about timing and long-term strategy. Placing this order today forms part of our long-term vision for AirAsia X.

"At a time when many airlines are cutting back routes and grounding staff and aircraft, the current economic downturn has presented AirAsia X with an unprecedented opportunity to gain market share with our low-fare, high quality business model."

AirAsia X already has 25 A330’s on order which are due to be delivered throughout 2015. Two of the aircraft have been delivered since October 2008.

AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani said: "We have selected the A350 XWB because of its exceptional passenger appeal and its ability to enable us to operate with unparalleled unit costs on long-haul routes."

by Phil Davies