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Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia has put its name down for as many as 150 narrowbody twinjets from the Airbus A220 family at a ceremony held in Montréal on Wednesday. The airline will also be the launch customer for the aircraft’s new cabin configuration, which accommodates over 150 passengers.
AirAsia also pressured Airbus to fully commit to building the proposed A220-500 concept, which would have even greater passenger capacity. With the A220 being built in Canada owing to its origins as the Bombardier CSeries, the order also represents a key political step forward for the North American nation as it looks to grow its international export market.
A Historic Order
Rumors of an Airbus A220 order from AirAsia have been doing the rounds for some time now, with Simple Flying having reported back in January of this year that the planemaker was finalizing a 100-aircraft deal with the Malaysian low-cost carrier. Now, four months later, these whispers have been confirmed, with Airbus proudly announcing the deal for up to 150 A220 aircraft at its facilities at Montréal Mirabel Airport (YMX).
The deal is significant not just for its size, but also because it marks AirAsia’s first purchase of the A220. Away from the aviation sector, The Globe & Mail reports that the order has also sparked excitement on the political level, with various dignitariespresent at today’s ceremony. Local aerospace specialist Mehran Ebrahimi commented that “politically, there’s something important here.” He also noted how the order broadens Airbus’ international footprint.
“It slides right into [Canadian PM] Mark Carney’s strategy of saying ‘We can sell internationally and broaden our export markets.’ The fact this is a buyer in Asia, where he’s put a lot of emphasis recently and travelled there, is significant.”
According to Airbus, the new aircraft’s new cabin configuration adds a total of 10 seats, boosting its capacity to 160 seats. With increased capacity, the planemaker will add additional overwing exits on each side of the aircraft. Although AirAsia is pleased with the increased seating, the carrier is putting pressure on Airbus to develop the rumored larger A220 variant, which would likely be named the A220-500.
Tony Fernandes, AirAsia’s CEO, called out Airbus executive Lars Wagner during the press conference, saying the airline would order additional jets if the manufacturer would commit to a larger A220 variant.
“We really hope that you will build…the 220-500, which is a hundred and eighty-five seats. That’s the aircraft we really want, so Lars… get a move on… we do want that aircraft,” Fernandes explained. “And we have committed… if they build that aircraft – so you can put him all under pressure today – if they build that aircraft, AirAsia will buy another 150 of these aircraft as well.”
A Boost That The Program Needed
All in all, the A220 has sold relatively well. Indeed, data from Airbus shows that as of March 31, the smaller A220-100 and the larger A220-300 had combined for a total of 959 orders. Of these aircraft, a grand total of 501 have been delivered. The deal marks a much-needed shot in the arm for Airbus’ beleaguered A220 family, which has recently faced various hurdles concerning the Pratt & Whitney GTF engines that power it.
However, in recent times, sales have slumped somewhat, with some customers beginning to favor its Brazilian rival, the Embraer E-Jet E2 series, on account of the GTF engine issues that have plagued the Airbus A220 family of late. Even after the series recently celebrated its 500th delivery, delays in engine deliveries are restricting Airbus’ ability to match airline demand.
These issues have manifested themselves in a wide variety of ways. As detailed in our ongoing coverage, SWISS International Air Lines has offered incentivized voluntary redundancy packages to flight attendants as it looks to shrink its cabin crew workforce on account of having to ground certain A220s for extended periods. As such, this historic order from AirAsia could be just what the program needs to get it back on the right track.
Major Airline Looking To Reduce Flight Attendant Workforce By Offering Nearly $20,000 To Quit
SWISS is paying cabin crew to leave as grounded jets and pilot shortages bite.
How Will The A220 Fit Into AirAsia’s Fleet?
According to ch-aviation, AirAsia currently has a grand total of 110 aircraft at its disposal. Much like the A220, all of these are narrowbody twinjets made by Airbus, but they come from the larger A320 and A320neo families. The former series dominates AirAsia’s fleet, with 70 A320-200s and three converted A321-200 freighters present, while 29 A320neos and eight A321neos make up the more modern side.
Going forward, AirAsia has outstanding orders for another 382 A321neo series jets, of which 36 will be A321LRs, and 20 will be A321XLRs. It also has 15 widebody A330-900neo twinjets at its disposal, highlighting its ambitions of scale. However, size isn’t everything, and, in fact, the addition of smaller A220s to the fleet will open more doors for AirAsia than it will close, as these aircraft will unlock new city pairs on lower-demand routes.
