Aircraft Orders and Deliveries Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs) Asia-Pacific (APAC) Airbus Airbus A330 Airlines Embraer

AirAsia X pivots to regional jets, scraps 15 A330neos as A220 vs Embraer battle looms

AirAsia X is preparing a major order for small narrowbody/regional jets to expand short- and medium-haul routes across Asia, weighing the Airbus A220 against Embraer E‑jets, and has cancelled a pending 15‑aircraft A330neo purchase, with an announcement expected in March.

Discovered 2026-02-11T00:39:54.228225-08:00 | 2026-02-11T00:39:54.228225-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Scrapping a planned 15‑aircraft A330neo deal and moving to smaller jets signals a shift from long‑haul widebody growth to frequency‑led regional expansion; the carrier is explicitly weighing Airbus A220 versus Embraer E‑jets (context on A220 talks and Embraer positioning in APAC).
A large regional‑jet order would alter OEM competition and delivery slot dynamics across APAC; it follows earlier reporting of AirAsia discussions around roughly 100 A220s and broader group fleet plans including a prior 150‑aircraft initiative (A220 talks, 150‑aircraft plan).
Management set a near‑term timeline (announcement expected in March), making this a fast‑moving development for lessors, OEM delivery schedules and network capacity planning.