AirAsia boosts fleet with A321neo

HAMBURG, Germany –  AirAsia Philippines is looking at the eventual inclusion of a larger A321neo in its fleet in the next few years after Asia’s largest low-cost carrier took delivery of its first ever A321neo aircraft from Airbus here on Wednesday.

The first of the 353 A321neos ordered by the AirAsia Group will be used by AirAsia Malaysia, which will initially operate the aircraft from its Kuala Lumpur hub to cities across Asia.

Matthew Glaus, AirAsia senior manager for aircraft planning and evaluation, said the A321 would be the backbone of the carrier’s future fleet, comprising the majority of its aircraft portfolio.

“This aircraft will be rolled across all of our AOCs (air operator’s certificate) moving forward over the next few years,” Glaus said.

“In the Philippines, we see a big potential because when you look at Manila, we see constraints in Manila in number of aircraft operating there today, so if we want to grow into this sort of market, we need an aircraft that’s bigger because we cannot add anymore flights,” he said.

The A321neo is expected to enable AirAsia to offer higher capacity in response to ongoing strong demand across its network as well as open up new routes with the highest levels of efficiency.

AirAsia Philippines CEO Ricky Isla said the company is still firming up plans to purchase an A321neo.

“Investing in newer additional aircraft will be advantageous for any airline in a slot-constrained environment. The A321, for example, provides 50 more seats compared to the A320. This means opportunities for us to offer even lower fares to flying guests,” Isla said.

“As one AirAsia, we always work toward efficiency in our operations, better guest experience, and more affordable fares. The delivery of the A321neo will prove to be beneficial for us in achieving these goals in the long run,” he said.

The A321neo, a member of the best-selling A320 family from Airbus, delivers 20 percent reduced fuel burn as well as 50 percent less noise compared to previous generation aircraft.

“The A321neo will enable AirAsia to offer high capacity in response to the ongoing strong demand across its network as well as to open up new routes enabling even more people to fly further and with lower cost than ever before,” said Michael Menking, Airbus head of A320 Family Program.