AirAsia Group adding 14 jets to fleet
The AirAsia Aviation Group is beefing up its aircraft fleet this year with the delivery of 14 jets in response to growing travel demand.
The parent company of AirAsia Philippines, in a statement on Thursday, said four of the orders would come from Airbus while the remaining 10 would be from lessors.
“This gives us an unmatched runway for expansion, allowing us to scale with absolute certainty whilst delivering the most affordable and reliable travel experience,” AirAsia Aviation Group CEO Bo Lingam said.
The airline headquartered in Malaysia is projecting to fly this year 70 million passengers, an 11-percent growth from 2024. It also has operations in Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia.
“This is more than about expanding our fleet—it’s about putting more flights where our guests need them most, opening up new destinations, and making travel even more seamless and affordable,” Lingam added.
Earlier, AirAsia Philippines CEO Ricky Isla said they were expecting to service 7.5 million passengers this year—an uptick from the 2024 year-end projection of 7.2 million.
US routes
In January to September last year, the local unit flew 5.26 million passengers, nearly 7 percent more than the 4.93 million passengers it catered in the same period in 2023.
Isla previously said they would evaluate the market to see where the company could launch new routes amid increasing air travel demand.
The budget carrier said in September last year it was keen on launching Manila-United States flights by 2025.
AirAsia parent company Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes said earlier they would want to make Manila the airline’s hub to America. This means the carrier’s passengers can fly to the US via Manila as their connecting flight.
“Demand is up, load factors and yields remain strong, and we are laser-focused on route optimizations with a disciplined focus on cost efficiency,” Lingam said.
