Qantas (QF, Sydney Kingsford Smith) has signed an order with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) for twenty-one more Airbus A320neos taking its total order book for the A320neo family to ninety-nine units. However, the carrier has chosen to defer orders for other A320s until after 2016 and to as late as 2022.

Airbus states the Australian carrier's latest order was placed in June and adds to an existing order for 78 A320neos placed in 2011. While the aircraft are ostensibly destined for its LCC subsidiary, Jetstar Airways (JQ, Melbourne Tullamarine), Qantas has not itself ruled out drafting A320neos into its domestic fleet currently dominated by the B737-800.

On a related note, the Australian carrier's stalled Hong Kong-based start-up, Jetstar Hong Kong (Hong Kong International), is said to be considering the sale of an additional three A320-200s on order from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) amid ongoing delays in its certification by local authorities.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the sale would leave the start-up with just three A320s having already disposed of three previous aircraft to China's Tianjin Airlines (GS, Tianjin) earlier this year.

The airline's protracted certification forced parent China Eastern Airlines (MU, Shanghai Hongqiao) to inject USD60million+ into the start-up last month.