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AirAsia accelerates fleet renewal: older A320 retirements, A330-900 order cancelled and Bahrain hub launch delayed

AirAsia Group is phasing out up to 12 of its oldest Airbus A320s this year while expecting additional A321LR deliveries in 2027. The group has also cancelled its order for 15 Airbus A330-900 aircraft with Airbus confirming the AirAsia X cancellation. Separately, AirAsia has postponed plans to launch London service via a new Bahrain hub until at least August or September amid Middle East conflict disruption.

Discovered 2026-06-22T01:11:11.135803-07:00 | 2026-06-22T01:11:11.135803-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Fleet and capacity plans are being reshaped simultaneously: AirAsia expects to remove up to 12 older A320s this year and pivot to A321LR deliveries in 2027, while Airbus also confirms AirAsia X has cancelled its 15 A330-900 order.
The London-by-Bahrain expansion timetable is slipping until at least August or September, directly tying network growth to geopolitical risk rather than aircraft availability alone—context echoed in AirAsia and AirAsia X’ August capacity rebuild plans.
The cancellation of the A330-900 order tightens the long-haul aircraft procurement runway, reinforcing the wider restructuring trajectory—alongside AirAsia X’s High Court application over share capital reduction.

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