KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 — After plane delivery delays, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is now expected to receive its first Airbus A330neo in October, instead of this month.
Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) group managing director Datuk Captain Izham Ismail said the airline expects to receive five more of the aircraft in the first quarter of next year.
“We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our first A330neo, which is now scheduled to join our fleet in October 2024. This addition promises an elevated and premium product offering and will lay the foundation for our vision of future travel with Malaysia Airlines.
“We expect to receive five A330neos by Q1 2025, which will serve international markets such as Japan, Australia, and even India. With these aircraft, we will be able to deploy the A350s to Paris, in addition to the current flagship routes to London and Doha. The expansion into Paris next year marks the beginning of a promising new chapter, filled with potential and opportunity,” he said during a MAG press conference held in conjunction with the Matta Fair at Mitec.
On Aug 29, Captain Izham announced that MAG had to cut its airlines’ flight frequency by a fifth due to a global parts shortage, which also resulted in receiving fewer than a quarter of the new planes expected this year.
He said that while the decision to reduce overall capacity by 20 per cent was difficult, it was necessary to maintain realistic flight schedules and uphold service standards.
The A330neo is Airbus’ next-generation wide-body aircraft, which will replace the current Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 models.
Malaysia Airlines has placed orders for 20 A330neos, which will gradually replace its existing A330 fleet in stages until 2028.
