By Kisho Kumari Sucedaram
PARIS, June 21 (NNN-Bernama) — AirAsia is ready to spread its wings with the addition of 19 new Airbus 320 (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 chief executive officer Tony Fernandes said the new additions would support the airline’s efforts towards regaining 100 per cent of its pre-pandemic capacity in the coming months.
He added that to-date, 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 per cent of pre-pandemic capacity in the coming months,” he said to Malaysian media members at the Paris Air Show here.
He said that 362 A321 aircraft are expected to come in next year, adding that AirAsia X is expected to have 15 wide bodies and up to 20 XLR aircraft.
“We are also planning to bring A330 to Indonesia and the Philippines to expand the network,” he said.
Meanwhile, 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 said.
He added that the airline is also looking forward to its cargo and logistics business, Teleport receiving the first of the three dedicated A321Fs 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 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 fell into the PN17 list– a categorisation for distressed entities, in January 2022.
— NNN-BERNAMA