Lowcost aviation pioneer AirAsia Bhd plans to accelerate its fleet expansion to accommodate a rapid increase in passenger traffic, the airline's group chief executive, Tony Fernandes, said today.

Fernandes told the Aviation Outlook industry conference that he expected AirAsia to carry 16 million passengers in the financial year ending next June, up from 9.31 million in the last financial year.

The carrier has ordered 100 Airbus A320s, has options on another 30, and is considering buying yet more planes, Fernandes said.

"We could do with a lot more aircraft," he said.

AirAsia was launched as a budget carrier in December 2001 with just two aircraft. It now offers more than 100 domestic and international flights to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines.