AirAsia (AK, Kuala Lumpur Int'l) took delivery of its first A321-200neo in the form of 9M-VAA (msn 9139) on November 20, 2019, the low-cost carrier said in a press release.
The Airbus narrowbody was ferried from Hamburg Finkenwerder via Ashgabat to Kuala Lumpur Int'l over the course of November 20-21, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows.
AirAsia said that the 236-seater A321neo will be initially used from its Kuala Lumpur hub to cities across Asia, with the first destinations including Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Singapore Changi, Bangkok Don Mueang, and Shenzhen. The airline has yet to file schedules for the type.
The LCC said it will use the A321neo to gradually replace all existing A320-200s and A320-200neo. According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, the Malaysian airline currently operates sixty-four A320-200s and thirty-one A320neo. In terms of AirAsia Group narrowbody fleet, AirAsia India operates a further twenty-five A320-200s, AirAsia Japan - three A320s, Indonesia AirAsia - twenty-seven A320s, Philippines AirAsia - twenty-four A320s, and Thai AirAsia - fifty-one A320s and eleven A320neo.
AirAsia is the world's second-largest confirmed customer for the A321neo. It initially ordered 100 units but then, earlier in 2019, converted another order for 253 A320neo to A321neo, bringing the total tally of the largest A320neo Family aircraft on order to 353. It also still has thirteen A320neo on firm order from the manufacturer.
The world's largest customer for the A321neo is IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi Int'l) with seven units already delivered and a further 391 on firm order from Airbus.