Story ID: 
Airbus Seals Asian A320 Deals
By: Gregory Polek
Caption: This is the teaser.
Word Count: 191
Garuda Indonesia has converted an MOU covering the purchase of 25 A320 family jets to a firm order, Airbus announced today.
The order makes Garuda Indonesia a new A320 family customer and covers 15 standard A320s and 10 A320neos for operation by the carrier’s low-cost unit, Citilink. The airline plans to announce its engine selection for the aircraft in the near future.
The order comes a day after Airbus had announced that another Asian carrier, Cebu Pacific, of the Philippines had converted an MOU, also placed in June, to a firm order for the purchase of 30 A321neos. Cebu Pacific has now placed firm orders for 71 A320 family jets, 16 of which have already arrived at its Manila base. The airline currently operates 25 A320s, including the 16 purchased from Airbus and nine acquired through lease deals.
Cebu Pacific plans to configure its A321neo fleet with 220 seats in a single-class layout and fly the aircraft across an expanding pan-Asian network that now includes 34 domestic and 16 international destinations. Like Garuda Indonesia, the Cebu Pacific plans to decide on an engine type at a later date.