Malaysia Airlines is gearing up for 12 new arrivals in 2024, including its first ever Airbus A330neo in quarter three.
In all the 12 new inductees in 2024 will comprise of four Airbus A330neo aircraft and eight Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets.
The arrivals are part of Malaysia Airlines fleet modernization plan that will help to support its network growth requirements.
In August 2022, Malaysia Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understandings (MOU) with Airbus, Rolls-Royce and lessor Avolon for the acquisition of 20 A330neo aircraft with deliveries scheduled through to 2028.
10 of the aircraft are directly purchased from Airbus with a back-to-back sale and leaseback arrangement with Avolon, while the remaining 10 are leased directly from Avolon.
The new A330neo’s business class will feature the newly designed Collins Aerospace Elevation Business Class seats in another first for the Malaysian flag carrier.
The all-suite cabins, with individual privacy doors, are set out in a 1-2-1 configuration and through the introduction of these new seats, Malaysia Airlines is poised to become the flagship carrier in the world to feature the ‘Elevation’ seats on the A330 airframe.
The A330neos will comprise 297 seats, 28 in business class and 269 in economy class, of which 24 seats come with extra legroom.
Additional features include wireless charging pods, ergonomic seat cushions, highly integrated in-flight entertainment (IFE) solutions and Wi-Fi connectivity.
“We are excited to induct the first of 20 Airbus A330neo’s in Q3 of this year, which will gradually replace our A330ceo fleet and operate to our network across Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East. This expansion is not just about increasing our inventory in numbers but also introducing the first-of-its-kind cabin class, new seats and experiences that prioritizes customer safety, comfort and overall satisfaction,” Datuk Captain Izham Ismail, Group Managing Director of MAG, said.
To further strengthen its fleet modernization program, at the beginning of 2026 Malaysian Airlines will also be retrofitting six A350-900s to match the standard of the new A330neos.
“We will continue to channel our investments into endeavors that strategically align with the key pillars driving our customer value proposition, namely cabin comfort, in-flight dining, and service delivery of our esteemed cabin crew. We aspire to curate an overall passenger experience that not only meets premium standards but exceeds them, underpinned by our inimitable Malaysian Hospitality,” Ismail added.
Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) currently owns a fleet size of 104 through its subsidiaries Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, MASwings and MASkargo.