PARIS: AirAsia is ready to spread its wings with the addition of 19 new Airbus A320 planes set to take flight this year, with the first aircraft expected to come in by the end of next month.
Capital A Bhd CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said the new additions will support the airline’s efforts towards regaining 100% of its pre-pandemic capacity in the coming months.
He added that the group has 170 planes back in service.
“We have already signed up 19 aircraft, and are negotiating for more.
“At the same time, AirAsia also expects to have all 204 of its aircraft reactivated by the end of August this year, and achieve 100% of pre-pandemic capacity in the coming months,” he told Malaysian media at the Paris Air Show .
Fernandes said 362 A321 aircraft are expected to come in next year, adding that AirAsia X is expected to have 15 widebodies and up to 20 XLR aircraft.
“We are also planning to bring A330 to Indonesia and the Philippines to expand the network,” he said.
Fernandes said the group has been pushing for a good margin and is upbeat for an improvement by the end of this year, despite the strengthening of the US dollar.
“Furthermore, we expect the strongest growth to come from Thailand as the market foresees a strong recovery post-pandemic.”
He added that the airline is also looking forward to its cargo and logistics business, Teleport receiving the first of the three dedicated A321F freighters in July to boost volume and speed for cross-border deliveries in the region.
On the company’s Practice Note 17 (PN17) status, Fernandes expressed his confidence in exiting Bursa Malaysia Securities’ PN17 list this year.
“I think June and July are going to be big months for us. So, let’s wait and see,” he said.
To recap, Capital A, the parent of AirAsia, fell into PN17 – a categorisation for distressed entities – in January 2022.
Meanwhile, AirAsia has been voted the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2023 for the unprecedented 14th time in a row, marking the airline as a global benchmark of airline quality and excellence.
The airline also emerged as the Best Low-Cost Airline in Asia 2023, as voted by travellers who participated in the largest airline passenger satisfaction survey from September 2022 to May 2023.
More than 100 customer nationalities participated in the survey, with 20.23 million eligible entries counted in the results.
The Skytrax World Airline Awards 2023 was held in conjunction with the Paris Air Show, being held from June 19 to 25.
Fernandes said the airline’s win was an extraordinary feat for any company in any industry, even more so for an Asean brand, especially after the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic that had severely impacted the aviation industry. – Bernama
