AirAsia places record 150-aircraft A220 order with Airbus in boost for Belfast wing production

Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia has placed a landmark order for 150 Airbus A220-300 aircraft with a list price of $19 billion (£14 billion), marking the largest single firm order ever placed for the A220 programme and pushing total firm orders for the type beyond 1,000.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, the agreement was signed at a ceremony in Mirabel, Canada, and is expected to support continued production demand at Airbus facilities worldwide, including Belfast, where wings for the A220 are manufactured. Airbus employs thousands of staff at its East Belfast site.

AirAsia will also become the launch customer for a new 160-seat cabin configuration on the A220-300, increasing capacity by 10 seats through the addition of extra overwing exits. The aircraft will be deployed across routes in Southeast Asia and Central Asia, with AirAsia indicating the type would allow larger aircraft to focus on longer-haul destinations.

Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, chief executive of Capital A and adviser to AirAsia Group, said the order reflected the airline's long-term discipline and ambition. "The A220 unlocks new markets and routes and brings us closer to building the world's first true low-cost network carrier," he said, adding that AirAsia's partnership with Airbus spanned more than two decades.

Lars Wagner, chief executive of commercial aircraft at Airbus, said the A220 offered AirAsia an optimal platform combining low operating costs with long-range capability.

The A220 is Airbus's smallest commercial jetliner, capable of carrying between 100 and 160 passengers on routes of up to 3,600 nautical miles. At the end of March 2026, Airbus had delivered 501 A220 aircraft to 25 operators worldwide.

Read the full report, including details of Belfast's role in A220 wing production and AirAsia's broader network strategy