With 2024 well and truly underway, Malaysia Airlines has shared details about its fleet plans this year. The flag carrier of Malaysia is welcoming 12 new twinjets this year, including four Airbus A330neos.

Two years in the making

In the summer of 2022, Malaysia Airlines proudly announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for 20 A330-900s. It was noted that the deliveries would be split between 10 direct purchases and 10 leases, with leasing powerhouse Avolon handling the latter.

Malaysia Airlines has a soft spot for the A330. It already holds six A330-200s, three A330-200Fs for cargo operations, and 15 A330-300s.

Photo: Jeang Herng | Shutterstock

The first of the incoming A330neos will arrive in the third quarter of 2024. Another three are set to follow before the year is over.

Added comfort

Along with the 25% fuel and emissions savings to be had with the A330neo, Malaysia Airlines is keen to introduce its new Collins Aerospace Elevation Business Class seat. This is a doored edition of Collins' Super Diamond offering, which passengers that have flown in British Airways' Club Suite long-haul business cabins would be familiar with.

Core features of the new seat include:

• Individual privacy doors.
• All-aisle access layout.
• Lie-flat flexibility.

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Malaysia Airlines Eyes British Airways Business Seat For New Airbus A330neos

It has been 10 months since the carrier signed its initial Memorandum of Understanding for the A330neo.

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) managing director Datuk Captain Izham Ismail shared the following about the A330neo arrivals in a statement:

“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 prioritises customer safety, comfort and overall satisfaction,

“We will continue to channel our investments into endeavours 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.”

Supporting the route map

The A330neo isn't the only type to have units join Malaysia Airlines' fleet this year. The Kuala Lumpur-based operator is expecting eight Boeing 737 MAX 8s to arrive at its facilities in 2024. It already has three in its fleet, but according to ch-aviation.com, another 22 are waiting to be delivered. The first MAX 8 joined the carrier in November 2023. It was followed by two more in December and January. The ever-popular Kota Kinabalu-Kuala Lumpur route has been a staple for the model this year.

We can expect the A330neo to conduct busy routes across the Asia-Pacific region. Its existing A330s have been busy carrying passengers to the likes of Perth, Auckland, Jakarta, and Beijing in recent weeks. Data from FlightRadar24 also shows heavy activity to Jeddah and Medina.

Thus, these dense international routes will benefit from greater efficiency and modernized cabins. The new aircraft will also help the airline expand in this growth period.

What are your thoughts about Malaysia Airlines’ Airbus A330neo aircraft? Are you looking forward to flying on these planes later this year? Let us know what you think in the comment section.