AirAsia bets big on efficiency with order for 150 Airbus A220 jets listed for $19 billion

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Budget airline AirAsia is ordering 150 Airbus A220-300 jets in a deal valued at about $19 billion at list prices, marking the largest single order ever placed for the A220 planes.

The deal was announced Thursday at an Airbus factory in Mirabel, Quebec. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended.

Airlines are modernizing their fleets and moving to better manage rising costs by purchasing fuel-efficient narrow-body jets.

The Iran war has added to those pressures, pushing prices for all sorts of fuels higher.

AirAsia said in a statement that the A220 aircraft is more fuel efficient and emits less carbon, helping to boost efficiency and better cope with high fuel prices and other costs. With a capacity of up to 160 seats, it can reach profitability with fewer passengers, helping to open up smaller, high-growth markets and secondary hubs that were previously commercially unviable, it said.

Tony Fernandes, the airline's co-founder and adviser, said the order reflected the group’s long-term growth ambitions and focus on cutting operating costs.

“In an environment of high fuel prices and volatility, the answer is not to stand still, it’s to double down on efficiency,” said Fernandes, who is also CEO of Capital A, the majority stakeholder in the airline. “This order reflects our long-term discipline and the scale of our ambitions. The A220 is the perfect tool for our next phase of growth."

AirAsia has the option to increase the order to as many as 300 aircraft, covering the wider A220 family and potential future variants. Airlines often get a discount from list prices when they buy in bulk.

Delivery of the aircraft is due to begin in 2028 and AirAsia said it will serve destinations across Southeast Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific. That will free up larger A320s and A321s for mid-haul routes and A330s to fly longer-haul routes to Europe, Australia and North America.

The order is a boost for Airbus, pushing its total firm orders for the A220 planes beyond 1,000. As of the end of March 2026, Airbus said it had delivered 501 A220 aircraft to 25 carriers.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during an event at the Airbus A220 Delivery Center in Mirabel, Que., Wednesday, May 6, 2026, where AirAsia placed a landmark order for 150 Airbus A220 aircraft. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

From left, Quebec Premier Christine Frechette, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and CEO, Airbus Commercial Aircraft Lars Wagner, right, applaud AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes, centre, during an event at the Airbus A220 Delivery Center in Mirabel, Que., Wednesday, May 6, 2026, where AirAsia placed a landmark order for 150 Airbus A220 aircraft. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Quebec Premier Christine Frechette, back left, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, centre, and Guillaume Chevasson, CEO, Airbus Canada, back right, look on as Lars Wagner, CEO, Airbus Commercial Aircraft, front right, and AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes, front left, sign a landmark order for 150 Airbus A220 aircraft during an event at the Airbus A220 Delivery Center in Mirabel, Que., Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during an event at the Airbus A220 Delivery Center in Mirabel, Que., Wednesday, May 6, 2026, where AirAsia placed a landmark order for 150 Airbus A220 aircraft. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and Lars Wagner, CEO, Airbus Commercial Aircraft, right, cheer on AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes, centre, during an event at the Airbus A220 Delivery Center in Mirabel, Que., Wednesday, May 6, 2026, where AirAsia placed a landmark order for 150 Airbus A220 aircraft. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi certainly has the New York Yankees' number — even if nobody else does lately.

The veteran right-hander cooled off Aaron Judge & Co. for the second time in eight days Wednesday night, pitching eight masterful innings for the Texas Rangers in their 6-1 victory.

“That’s the tough part, right? We don’t really do this very often, where we have to face that same team back-to-back starts," Eovaldi said. "Fortunately for me the last time it was a good one. I know I threw a lot of splitters and cutters. Today with the curveball being as effective as it was, it just allowed me to I guess rely on that pitch a little bit more, but also keep doing what was working before.”

Eovaldi threw 31 curveballs — his most in a game since 2019 with Boston, manager Skip Schumaker noted.

“The last two outings with Evo have been fantastic. I mean, today was exactly what we needed and hoped for against a really good lineup,” Schumaker said. “I thought there was a chance he'd go the distance, but I wasn't going to push him with a five-run lead.”

The 36-year-old Eovaldi, a two-time All-Star who pitched for the Yankees from 2015-16, struck out a season-best eight and walked none, firing 72 of his 101 pitches for strikes. He allowed just three hits — albeit against a lineup minus injured sluggers Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton — after tossing seven innings of four-hit ball in a 3-0 win over New York on April 29 at home.

"He was fooling ’em all night,” said catcher Kyle Higashioka, who spent 2017-23 with the Yankees. “He just uses all his pitches in a manner that just keeps people guessing, forcing them to commit hard or soft. I think it’s just, his stuff lends itself to really keeping guys off balance. He's always a tough at-bat and he really knows how to pitch. He’s got a great capacity for that. So I mean, it’s no surprise to me he shut ’em down twice.”

Each splendid performance snapped a three-game slide for Texas. In between, the American League-leading Yankees (25-12) scored 46 runs while going 5-0 against the Orioles and Rangers.

“You know how good that team is over there. Their game planning is elite, so you have to mix it up. You cannot get into patterns," Schumaker said. "I didn’t know what he was throwing, either. I mean, his game plan, he has such good feel for swings and what the hitters are trying to sit on. So, there’s a game plan but then he also goes out there and he can navigate a game on his own as good as anybody based on what he’s seeing. And that’s the part of the game that sometimes gets lost today, right?”

Eovaldi became the first Rangers pitcher to last longer than seven innings this year and improved to 5-2 with a 2.22 ERA in his last 11 starts against the Yankees since April 8, 2022.

“That’s the biggest thing for me is, I enjoy the challenge. I want to face the best teams, and I want to go out there and attack the zone as best I can,” Eovaldi said.

“I played here in Yankee Stadium enough to know like, how big the crowd plays into effect, how they can get the players going. It’s one of those things about being able to pitch on the road is just being able to try to take the crowd out of the game.”

New York had won eight in a row at home.

“They’re a good-hitting team, so they’re going to come out and learn from the last game, because he threw fantastic against them last week," Higashioka said. "They’re going to learn from that and they’re going to make adjustments, so we have to kind of figure out a way to mitigate that without straying too far from Evo’s strengths. So, he did a great job adjusting.”

Eovaldi thought he mixed his pitches well and said it helped that the Rangers scored early, building a 4-0 lead by the third behind homers from Corey Seager and Evan Carter.

That allowed Eovaldi to "just try to stay on the attack the whole time,” he said.

The only blip came when Judge hit his major league-best 15th homer with two outs in the sixth for the Yankees, who had won 15 of 17 overall. But that merely trimmed the margin to 6-1, and Eovaldi retired his final seven batters after that.

“It was an amazing outing," Schumaker said.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Texas Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge reacts after striking out during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Texas Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Texas Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)