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Fernandes: “A350 too expensive for AirAsia”
April 20th 2018
AirAsia Group CEO and co-founder, Tony Fernandes, said this week that the “A350 is not an aircraft we will buy. Read More » Too expensive. Fares would go up”. It is unclear whether Fernandes was referring to future orders or if AirAsia X intends to cancel its 2009 order for ten A350-900s.
The long-haul low-cost unit also has orders for 66 A330-900neo and 20 A330-300s. The first A330neo is due in Kuala Lumpur in 2019. The airline is the type’s best customer. AirAsia is understood to be considering an order for additional widebody aircraft.
In March, Fernandes said the low-cost conglomerate was not interested in acquiring aircraft from U.S. manufacturer Boeing. “Right now, we are still very much an Airbus customer,” he told NST Business. “We have no plan to buy from Boeing at the moment.”
Fernandes’ remarks should put to rest speculation that AirAsia X was considering replacing its A330neo order with a deal for B787s. Last October, in a Bloomberg interview, Fernandes said the group was reviewing its future fleeting requirements, including a potential Dreamliner order.
