By Tim Hepher PARIS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Airbus is closing in on a deal to sell around 100 A220 jets to AirAsia, marking the budget airline's first foray into regional narrowbody aircraft, industry
Airbus Set to Finalize Sale of Approximately 100 A220 Jets to AirAsia
AirAsia's Strategic Move into Regional Aircraft
By Tim Hepher
Details of the A220 Deal
PARIS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Airbus is closing in on a deal to sell around 100 A220 jets to AirAsia, marking the budget airline's first foray into regional narrowbody aircraft, industry sources said.
AirAsia's Fleet Expansion Plans
If confirmed, a deal including options for about 50 more aircraft on top of the main order could be announced within days as Asia's largest low-cost carrier pursues a turnaround, the sources said, asking not to be named.
Impact of Pandemic on AirAsia
Both companies declined to comment.
Future of Capital A and AirAsia
"We have no announcements to make at this time," an AirAsia spokesperson said.
Discussions to become the first buyer for a potential high-density, 160-seat version of the A220 first emerged ahead of last year's Paris Airshow, with Brazil's Embraer also vying for a chance to break Airbus' exclusive hold on AirAsia.
Reuters reported last week that Airbus had renewed efforts to close a deal with AirAsia for some 100 A220s, possibly as early as this month.
AirAsia is one of the European planemaker's biggest customers with more than 350 larger A320-family jets already on order. In July it ordered 50 long-range A321XLR aircraft.
AirAsia co-founder Tony Fernandes told Reuters last June the airline was ready to broaden its fleet by picking smaller planes to support new destinations.
This week, deputy Group CEO Farouk Kamal told Reuters that AirAsia continued to work with planemakers for regional-type aircraft, as it considers ordering a further 150 jets.
AirAsia has led a boom in low-cost carriers in the region in the past two decades as incomes rose.
However, pandemic travel restrictions crippled the airline's parent Capital A, prompting Malaysia's stock exchange to classify it as financially distressed in a measure known as PN17.
Fernandes, who is CEO of Capital A, said in a statement on Friday that the group had finished its PN17 regularisation plan and was "now working towards the uplift".
Consolidation of all AirAsia-branded aviation businesses under AirAsia X will allow the airline to focus on expanding operations and reducing costs, while Capital A focuses on reviving its finances.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Additional reporting by Danial Azhar; Editing by Susan Fenton)
