KUALA LUMPUR — AirAsia X Bhd plans to bolster its fleet with smaller aircraft, including new engine option (NEO) models and long-range (LR) variants, as part of its strategy to strengthen its presence in the medium-haul aviation market.
CEO Benyamin Ismail confirmed that the airline expects to receive the new aircraft in the second half of 2026, Bernama reported.
AirAsia X will welcome deliveries of the Airbus A321neo and A321LR, enabling the airline to operate flights lasting between five and seven hours.
“As an example, we are evaluating several potential destinations such as Busan in South Korea, Adelaide and Darwin in Australia, as well as smaller cities in China,” he said during a media familiarisation trip on the airline’s inaugural flight to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The Malaysian carrier launched its first service to Tashkent on October 15, 2025, offering three weekly flights between Malaysia and the Uzbek capital.
Tashkent becomes AirAsia X’s second Central Asian destination, following the launch of services to Almaty, Kazakhstan, on March 14, 2024.
Benyamin added that the airline is also focusing on increasing flight frequencies to existing destinations, citing positive overall performance.
“In Australia, for example, we are working towards offering a more consistent schedule, while demand in China has increased, so we have reinstated capacity there. Demand for flights to Japan and South Korea remains strong as well.”
He highlighted that the airline’s monthly and quarterly performance reports have shown positive load factors, with an average of 84%.
Benyamin noted that this represents a significant improvement compared to levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. — October 20, 2025