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KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 8): Low-cost carrier AirAsia Group Bhd is looking to return some jets to lessors and downsize its fleet, group chief executive Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said on Thursday, as the airline seeks to weather the shock. of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are not going to buy new planes and we are going to return as many as we can. I estimate that by the end of next year we will fly 180 planes,” Fernandes told reporters. The group currently has 245 aircraft.
AirAsia, like other airlines, has been hit hard by travel restrictions due to the pandemic.
Earlier this week, it closed its operations in Japan, and its long-range arm, AirAsia X Bhd, said it was looking to restructure a $ 15.3 billion debt.
It also seeks to raise about $ 600 million in capital by the end of the year.
Fernandes said AirAsia is still in talks with supplier Airbus SA to reduce backorders.
“I don’t see us putting ourselves in a position where we want to buy planes for several years. And even if we want to buy planes, there will probably be a lot of cheap second-hand planes,” Fernandes said.
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