Malaysia Airlines is currently undergoing a review of its aircraft needs including their six Airbus A380s, two of which are currently sitting idle. The airline has recently signed an agreement for a long-term lease with Air Lease Corporation for four Airbus A350-900s and options for two more, as well as two Airbus A330-900neos.
With their current difficulty filling the two daily A380 flights to London, Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) plans to deploy the smaller and more cost effective Airbus A350-900s on the route, starting in the fourth quarter of 2017. Delivery of the new aircraft to be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2017 and be completed by the second quarter of 2018.
Plans for the A380 aircraft have not yet been finalised.
In other developments, Amsterdam is the latest destination slated to be dropped from the network, at least for daily flights, with Paris under consideration. Air France will no longer fly the Kuala Lumpur/Paris route from 25th October 2015, so it is possible that Malaysia Airlines will continue servicing the route using 777-200ERs. It is likely that the rest of the 777-200ER fleet will be phased out.
Plans for the two Airbus A330-900neos have yet to be revealed, but indications are that the 15 existing Airbus A330-300 in the airline’s fleet are planned to be reconfigured into a three class layout of business, super economy and economy, operational at the end of March 2016.
See our earlier story HERE.
photo credit © Airbus
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