Following earlier reports, Malaysia Airlines’ parent company Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) has signed with Airbus to acquire 20 Airbus A330neos.
As part of Malaysia Airlines’ widebody fleet renewal program, the Kuala Lumpur-based airline will take 20 Airbus A330-900 aircraft. 10 of the aircraft will be purchased from Airbus with the other half will be leased from Dublin-based Avalon.
According to Airbus, the aircraft will be equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines and will be configured with a premium layout seating 300 passengers in two classes.
The announcement was made during an event in Kuala Lumpur attended by MAG CEO Izham Ismail and Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International Christian Scherer. Both signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the aircraft to be ordered.
“The acquisition of the A330neo is a natural transition from our current A330ceo fleet. The A330neo will not only provide fleet modernisation and enhanced operational efficiency, but will also meet environmental targets through reduced fuel-burn per seat, while keeping passenger safety and comfort at its core. This is a significant milestone as MAG moves towards the successful execution of our Long-Term Business Plan 2.0 to position itself as a leading aviation services Group within the region,” said MAG CEO Izham Ismail.
“Malaysia Airlines is one of the great Asian carriers and we are proud and humbled to be its preferred supplier of widebody aircraft. The decision is a clear endorsement of the A330neo as the most efficient option in this size category for premium operations. It’s also the clear winner in terms of in-flight comfort and we are looking forward to working with Malaysia Airlines to define an exceptional cabin experience,” Scherer added.
The A330neos will add to the Kuala Lumpur-based airline’s 6 A350-900s, and will be used to replace its 21 A330s. The carrier will operate the A330neo on its network covering Asia, the Pacific, and the Middle East.
With the order, Airbus has received more than 270 firm orders for the A330neo from over 20 customers worldwide as of the end of July 2022.
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