AirAsia (AK, Kuala Lumpur International) has placed a firm order for 150 A220-300 aircraft from Airbus, the manufacturer announced on May 6, 2026.

According to a stock market filing by parent holding AirAsia X, the aircraft will be acquired through Asia Aviation Capital, an in-house leasing arm, and then leased to AirAsia in Malaysia and its JVs abroad.

The purchase agreement is the largest single firm order placed for the A220 aircraft, and makes AirAsia a new customer for the family type. The airline will also become the launch customer for the aircraft’s new cabin configuration of 160 all-economy class seats.

In a statement, Airbus said adding ten seats was possible by placing an extra overwing exit on each side of the aircraft.

Speaking during the media briefing, AirAsia founder, shareholder, and advisor Tony Fernandes appealed to Airbus to develop the proposed stretch variant, the A220-500. "We have committed, if they build that aircraft, AirAsia will buy another 150 of these aircraft as well," he said. The A220-500, which is not yet confirmed, would be able to carry up to around 185 passengers.

The group has "the strategic flexibility to upsize the commitment to a total of 300 aircraft to meet future demand," AirAsia X said in the stock market filing.

The deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2028 and continue through to 2039. Fernandes said the first delivery could occur in late in 2027, "if we're lucky".

AirAsia will use the A220-300 to service destinations across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam) and into Central Asia.

The group aims to arrange financing for each aircraft individually around 10-12 months before the scheduled delivery.

ch-aviation data shows AirAsia’s fleet in Malaysia comprises seventy A320-200s, twenty-nine A320-200Ns, three A321-200(P2F)s, and nine A321-200NX. Parent company AirAsia X (D7, Kuala Lumpur International) operates nineteen A330-300s.

The group also includes non-Malaysian operators, co-owned with local investors through AirAsia Aviation Group. These are Philippines AirAsia (twenty-four A320-200s), Thai AirAsia (forty-four A320-200s, eleven A320-200Ns, and seven A321-200NX), Thai AirAsia X (eleven A330-300s), and Indonesia AirAsia (twenty-seven A320-200s).

AirAsia has touted the order for months, with the Embraer E2s and C919s also competing for the contract.