Malaysia Aviation to Lease and Purchase 20 Airbus A330-900 Aircraft

(16 August 2022, 14:56 +07)  Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), parent company of Malaysia Airlines, has selected the A330neo for the carrier’s widebody fleet renewal programme.

The initial agreements cover the acquisition of 20 A330-900 aircraft, with 10 to be purchased from Airbus and 10 to be leased from Dublin-based Avolon.

The deals were announced at an event in Kuala Lumpur, attended by MAG CEO Izham Ismail and Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International Christian Scherer, who signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the aircraft to be ordered from Airbus.

Agreements with engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce and Avolon were also signed at the ceremony.

Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330neo

Powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, the A330neo will join the carrier’s fleet of six long range A350-900s and gradually replace its 21 A330ceo aircraft.

The carrier will operate the A330neo, which will have 300 seats in a two-class configuration, on flights covering Asia, the Pacific and Middle East.

Izham Ismail said, “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.”

In addition to the renewal of the widebody fleet, Airbus and MAG also signed a Letter of Intent to study a wider collaboration in the areas of sustainability, training, maintenance and airspace management.

“Malaysia Airlines is one of the great Asian carriers and we are proud and humbled to be its preferred supplier of widebody aircraft,” said Christian Scherer. “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.”

Compared to older aircraft, the A330neo offers a 25% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2-emissions.

The A330-900 is capable of flying 7,200nm / 13,300km non-stop.

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