KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's airlines, including Malaysia Airlines and low-cost budget airline AirAsia, announced Saturday that they are acquiring new aircraft to support their expansions.

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of Malaysia Airlines, said in a statement that it has exercised its purchase rights for 20 additional A330neo aircraft through a direct order with Airbus, reaffirming its commitment to a long-term strategy for fleet renewal and network development.

With this latest acquisition, Malaysia Airlines is set to become one of the largest A330neo operators in the Asia-Pacific region, said the statement.

This new order builds on MAG's initial commitment in 2022 for 20 A330neo aircraft, comprising 10 directly purchased and 10 leased from Ireland-based lessor Avolon, bringing the group's total A330neo commitment to 40 aircraft to date. Deliveries from this additional batch are scheduled between 2029 and 2031.

To date, MAG has taken delivery of four A330neo aircraft, currently operating on selected services to Auckland, Melbourne, and Bali.

Six more are scheduled for delivery by the end of the year, with the remaining aircraft from the original order set to arrive progressively through to 2028.

Meanwhile, AirAsia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capital A Berhad, said in a statement that it has signed a landmark agreement with Airbus valued at 12.25 billion U.S. dollars for 50 A321XLRs with rights for 20 A321XLRs.

The aircraft are scheduled for delivery commencing in 2028 through 2032.

AirAsia Group aims to carry 150 million guests annually by 2030, reaching a cumulative total of 1.5 billion guests since inception, according to the statement. ■