AirAsia Philippines said Wednesday will add 20 aircraft in the next five years as part of the group’s plan to acquire 150 units.
“We are currently operating 15 aircraft. For 2025, we are going to revamp the aircraft numbers up to a total of 21 aircrafts. Moving forward, for 2026, our route is going to be two to four aircrafts,” Capt. Suresh Bangah, chief executive and president of AirAsia Philippines, told reporters in a briefing.
“We are currently studying all the routes … the feasibility of the routes,” he said.
AirAsia Berhad, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capital A Berhad, earlier signed a landmark agreement with Airbus valued at $12.25 billion for 50 A321XLRs with rights for 20 A321XLRs.
The airline takes a major step towards becoming the world’s first low-cost narrow-body network carrier, anchored by its multi-hub strategy. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery commencing 2028 through 2032.
“We pioneered low-cost travel in Asia – now, we are taking it to the next level. AirAsia is on a transformative journey to become the world’s first low-cost network carrier. This is about exponential growth, connecting geographies beyond Asean, and making flying even more democratic. We gave people in Asean the opportunity to explore Asia – now we want the world to see Asean, and Asean to see the world,” said Tony Fernandes, chief executive of Capital A and advisor and steward of AirAsia Group.
“The A321XLR and A321LR are the game-changers enabling this vision, and we are proud to lead the charge in making our world smaller. We can’t wait to paint the skies even wider in red,” he said.
The next-generation A321XLRs will operate alongside AirAsia’s all-Airbus fleet of A320 Family and A330 aircraft, supporting its long-term strategy to deliver unmatched connectivity across Asia and beyond, while maintaining a low-cost model through improved route economics, enhanced aircraft utilization and fleet efficiency.
Capt. Chester Voo, deputy group chief executive for airline operations of AirAsia Aviation Group said they are looking to order up to 150 new aircraft, which would be announced within the next two weeks.
“Yes, it’s going to be about 150 aircraft. And we should be able to get clear info and finalize this in two to three weeks from now,” Voo said.
“The strategy of the group is this. To have aircraft that can fly at the best cost. So newer generation aircraft will save about 30 percent of operational costs, including fuel burn,” he said.
AirAsia Group aims to carry 150 million guests annually by 2030, reaching a cumulative total of 1.5 billion guests since inception.
