Kazakh carrier Air Astana intends to order up to 50 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft, primarily the long-range A321LR variant, for a fleet modernisation.
The tentative agreement – still a memorandum of understanding – covers a proposal for 25 firm orders and 25 purchase options, with deliveries starting in 2031.
“This would be the largest-ever order placed by the airline,” states the carrier, and follows a recent agreement to take five Boeing 787-9s.
Air Astana says the renewal would comprise A321neo and A320neo jets. But it adds that the “majority” of the order will be the A321LR version of the A321neo.
It says its use of the A321LR on Asia-Europe routes over the past five years has “set the standard for new operators of the type”.
Air Astana Group started introducing A320s in 2006, stepping up to the A320neo family a decade later. Its first A321LR entered the fleet in 2019.
Chief executive Peter Foster says the A320neo family has “proven to be an outstanding success” within the carrier’s operations.
He says the new order “reflects a commitment to maintaining [our] reputation for operational efficiency and service excellence”.
Air Astana Group – which also includes budget operation FlyArystan – has a total of 62 aircraft including 59 Airbus narrowbodies.
