AirAsia parent upbeat on prospects
With airfares surging 30% post-pandemic, AirAsia Group says it will not hike its fares to maintain affordability for the mass market, while it seeks to add routes on other continents by utilising long-range single-aisle jets. "We survived a five-year downturn related to the pandemic, losing about US$10b with 200 planes grounded during that time. This year we have recovered somewhat, with our fleet at 91% of the 2019 level," said Tony Fernandes, CE of Capital A, the parent company of AirAsia. "From 2025 we hope to grow, with Airbus committing to feed us new jets, while 2026 could be the best ever year for the group." According to AirAsia's expansion plan, the company expects to take delivery of 34 aircraft from its orderbook, with 10 coming from a lessor's orderbook over the next three years. Adding 15 Airbus A321XLR Neos would allow AirAsia to have longer flight hours, tapping new routes such as Almaty in Kazakhstan. AirAsia serves 92 destinations and wants to add more long-distance direct flights, which airlines in Asia rarely do, targeting East and North Africa, areas that are within range of the new aircraft, said Fernandes.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2024-10-07/unaligned/airasia-parent-upbeat-on-prospects
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AirAsia parent upbeat on prospects
With airfares surging 30% post-pandemic, AirAsia Group says it will not hike its fares to maintain affordability for the mass market, while it seeks to add routes on other continents by utilising long-range single-aisle jets. "We survived a five-year downturn related to the pandemic, losing about US$10b with 200 planes grounded during that time. This year we have recovered somewhat, with our fleet at 91% of the 2019 level," said Tony Fernandes, CE of Capital A, the parent company of AirAsia. "From 2025 we hope to grow, with Airbus committing to feed us new jets, while 2026 could be the best ever year for the group." According to AirAsia's expansion plan, the company expects to take delivery of 34 aircraft from its orderbook, with 10 coming from a lessor's orderbook over the next three years. Adding 15 Airbus A321XLR Neos would allow AirAsia to have longer flight hours, tapping new routes such as Almaty in Kazakhstan. AirAsia serves 92 destinations and wants to add more long-distance direct flights, which airlines in Asia rarely do, targeting East and North Africa, areas that are within range of the new aircraft, said Fernandes.<br/>
