AirAsia to place order for small airliners, drop A330neo

The co-founder of AirAsia X said on Tuesday the Malaysian airline plans a significant order for small jets as it ‌adds ⁠new ⁠routes and flights for Asia's first-time travellers, but no longer needs a pending order for 15 Airbus A330neo jets.

Airline entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, CEO ⁠of parent ‌Capital A which recently restructured its aviation ⁠arm, said a choice of Airbus or Embraer regional models would be announced in the next month and would be bigger than reported. Industry sources ‌have said AirAsia is poised to order up to 150 Airbus ⁠A220 jets.

Fernandes was speaking to Reuters in an interview after announcing plans for a new low-fare Middle East hub in Bahrain.