The A321XLR has a longer range of 4,700 nautical miles.

In a significant development, the AirAsia Group, the world’s largest customer for Airbus’ A321neo, stated it has decided to convert 253 orders for Airbus’ A320neo planes to the larger A321neo model.

“The change will enable the airline to offer higher capacity in response to ongoing strong demand across its network,” said Airbus in a statement.

On Monday, Airbus launched the A321XLR, at the Paris Airshow. The A321XLR has a range of up to 4,700 nautical miles.

When asked on the sidelines of the show about the A321XLR, Kamarudin Meranun, AirAsia’s Executive Chairman said “negotiations are ongoing.”

AirAsia’s long-haul arm AirAsia X last year placed an order for 34 A330neo widebodies which it has yet to firm up. Some of those could be switched to long-range narrowbodies, the head of AirAsia X’s Malaysia arm said in November 2018.