AirAsia X signs letter of intent with ILFC for lease of six Airbus A330-300 aircraft
09-Aug-2012 AirAsia X, the long haul, low fare affiliate of Malaysian based AirAsia Group signed a letter of intent with International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) for the lease of six Airbus A330-300. These aircraft are the same model as those that AirAsia X purchased directly from Airbus, with Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines and a Maximum Take-Off Weight of 233 tons.
The six aircraft which are scheduled for delivery between 2013 and 2014 will be operated on the carrier's expanding network, offering low fare services to destinations in Asia Pacific.
AirAsia X will lease the six aircraft on a 10 year lease term. The six leased aircraft will be reconfigured to meet AirAsia X's existing Airbus A330-300 configuration of 12 Premium Flatbeds and 365 Economy seats.
Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X said," These six aircraft, together with existing delivery orders from Airbus, will see AirAsia X's growth develop, with a total of seven deliveries each in 2013 and 2014, with the aim of being the dominant market leader in the low-cost long-haul segment."
"We intend to deploy the additional capacity with a vision to solidify our positions in our identified core markets, including Australia, China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan."
"Our commitment to have a standardised, young, and fuel efficient fleet optimises our resources and provides better value for our guests," concluded Azran.
Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Co-founder and Director of AirAsia X commented, "AirAsia X's partnership with ILFC will further complement the AirAsia Group's long-term vision of developing its presence in key markets in Asia, and strengthening the connectivity between the AirAsia's short haul and AirAsia X long haul low cost network for the benefit of passengers' convenience. This would hopefully fulfil our pledge - Now Everyone Can Fly further."
"ILFC is pleased to welcome AirAsia X as our new customer in the Asia Pacific region. This new partnership will support the long-haul business of AirAsia X and reinforce the airline's position in low-cost segment of the market," said ILFC Chief Executive Officer, Henri Courpro
AirAsia X was awarded the Airbus Top Operational Excellence Award 2010-2011, for being the world's best Airbus A330-300 operator (small fleet category) at the Airbus A330/340 Technical Symposium. Airbus awards the best performing airlines every two years based on Airbus's global database of technical dispatch reliability performance across all operators of the aircraft type. AirAsia X has achieved a record of 99.53% for 2011 for its operating, maintenance and safety systems.
AirAsia X was the first long-haul, low fare carrier to introduce Flatbed seats, which have standard business class specifications of 20" width, 60" pitch and stretch out to 77" in full recline position.
The Premium flatbeds feature universal power sockets, adjustable headrests and built-in personal utilities such as tray table, drink holder, reading light and privacy screen. Premium seat guests also enjoy premium complimentary products and services including Pick A Seat, Priority Check-in, Priority Boarding, Priority Baggage, 20kg Baggage Allowance, Complimentary Meal and Pillow & Blanket.
AirAsia was named World's Best Low Cost Airline in the annual World Airline Survey by Skytrax for four consecutive years in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
AirAsia keeps abreast with the social media community via their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Guests are able to receive real-time updates on latest promotions and interact with AirAsia via facebook.com/AirAsia and twitter.com/AirAsia.