Malaysia Airlines, a part of the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), announced the company’s decision to acquire the A330neo for the carrier’s widebody fleet renewal programme. The acquired A330neo jets will be powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines and will join Malaysia Airlines’ existing fleet of six long-range A350-900s gradually replacing its 21 A330ceo aircraft. Malaysia Airlines will operate the latest A330neo on its network covering Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East. Malaysia Airlines has also decided to configure the A330neo fleet with a premium layout that will seat 300 passengers in two classes.
The initial agreements signed by Malaysia Airlines cover that the airline will acquire a total of Twenty A330-900 aircraft for the renewal of the A330neo fleet. Ten of the jets will be purchased from Airbus and ten more are to be leased from Dublin-based Avolon.
Izham Ismail, CEO, Malaysia Aviation Group 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.”