Airbus A320NEO To Make Entry Into AirAsia's Fleet Starting 2016

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 (Bernama) -- AirAsia Group, which has placed an order for a whopping 300 units of Airbus A320neo, the latest Airbus jetliner model, will start receiving them from the second half of 2016. AirAsia Bhd Chief Executive Officer Aireen Omar said the models were expected to replace some of its existing aircraft as well as widening its businesses in the region. She said the new aircraft, to be delivered in stages until 2026, is more fuel-efficient and produce less carbon to the environment, as well as flying smoother that the existing model owned by the airline. "We want to make sure that we don't use the aircraft that is too old, as it would consume more fuel. We always want to keep an aircraft of a young age," she told reporters at the AirAsia's #Green24 campaign here, Saturday. The new A320neo aircraft is the improvement from Airbus' current engine option jetliners, resulting in a per seat fuel burn saving of 20 per cent, along with additional range, reduced engine noise and lower emissions. The 300 aircraft was part of the 475 aircraft purchased by AirAsia in 2013, which planned to cater to the increasing demand, widen existing businesses and for the purpose of re-entering Japan's routes. "We will continue to add more aircraft orders (in the future), as we go further because we are not only growing in Malaysia, but also in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, India and hopefully in Japan," she added. Meanwhile, the environmental sustainability awareness campaign will see the whole AirAsia Group, along with the Tune Group of companies and the Asian Aviation Centre for Excellence team up to carry out both internal and external initiatives throughout the #Green24 campaign to promote awareness towards the issue of climate change. Internally, Aireen said AirAsia had started its environmental sustainability awareness campaign recently with initiatives aimed at saving energy, reduce wastage and recycling. The #Green24 campaign will end with a group-wide initiative, expected to take place in January 2016 which will also include participation from the Tune Group of companies and the Asian Aviation Centre of Excellence. A full 24-hour programme will be created with activities aimed at conserving energy, raising awareness on climate change and working towards developing a sustainability-aware culture within AirAsia, the Malaysian low-cost airline, and the industry. -- BERNAMA