AirAsia has need for smaller aircraft but CSeries interest for now is more of a negotiating tactic

The surprise visit from AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes to Bombardier's CSeries mockup at the Jul-2012 Farnborough Airshow was seen more as a negotiating tactic with Airbus as the Group has a need to take A320s at a faster pace than it committed to when ordering 200 additional aircraft last year. AirAsia is now reportedly close to ordering another 100 A320s, possibly as early as this week's Berlin Air Show.

But even with a CSeries order looking unlikely for now, the interest Mr Fernandes expressed in the new model during Farnborough should still be viewed as serious. The time may be soon when AirAsia's fleet needs are so large and Airbus' backlog full that it would be appropriate to end exclusivity. There is a need at AirAsia for a smaller aircraft type and the efficiencies of the CSeries - or another type - could outweigh the advantage of keeping a simplified fleet.