Malaysia's AirAsia to exercise 25 options for A320 planes

SINGAPORE, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Malaysian budget airline AirAsia (AIRA.KL: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) plans to exercise 25 out of its 50 options to buy Airbus A320s, its chief executive said on Thursday, taking the number of its firm orders for the single-aisle plane to 200.

Speaking on the sidelines of an aviation event, AirAsia Chief Executive Tony Fernandez said he aimed to bring the number of options for the A320, made by European planemaker Airbus (EAD.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), back to 50 by taking on another 25 options.

AirAsia, Asia's largest budget carrier, introduced its low-fare, no-frills concept in December 2001, and has since embarked on an aggressive expansion.