Malaysian low-cost airline AirAsia has shown strong interest in acquiring the Chinese C919 passenger jet, its executive said, as part of its strategy to tap into Southeast Asia’s 700 million-strong population and capitalise on growing China-Asean business ties.
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“We’re in active discussions to buy the C919,” Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A – an investment holding company of AirAsia – told the Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
“We’re the first foreign airline to be working with Comac [on a deal for the C919],” he added, referring to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China – the state-owned manufacturer of the jet, which seats up to 192 passengers and has a flying range of up to 5,555 kilometres.
Fernandes did not disclose the potential order size, pricing or other details.
Interest in the single-aisle Chinese passenger aircraft, designed to compete with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 series, has grown alongside the expansion of flight connections and economic ties within and between the Asean bloc and China.
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Currently, 2,552 scheduled passenger flights operate weekly between China and Asean countries, up 8.3 per cent from last year, data from China’s civil aviation regulator showed.