Malaysia Airlines Orders 20 Airbus A330neos

This was first rumored a week ago.

Malaysia Airlines orders Airbus A330neo

Malaysia Airlines has placed an order for 20 A330neo aircraft with 10 of them being purchased directly from the manufacturer and 10 being leased from Avolon. The delivery of these new planes by the Kuala Lumpur-based airline will be a gradual process.

15 A330-300s and six A330-200s are part of the fleet of Malaysia Airlines. The plan is to replace these planes with the A330neo aircraft.

The A330neos will be configured with roughly 300 seats, but there will be no first class or premium economy. The A330neos will be used for flights to the South Pacific and Middle East.

The CEO of Malaysia Airlines had something to say about this order.

“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.”

Both the -800neo and -900neo versions of the A330neo are present.

• The A330-800neo has a standard three-cabin capacity of 257, while the A330-900neo has a standard three-cabin capacity of 287
• The A330-800neo has a range of 7,506nm, while the A330-900neo has a range of 6,550nm

The A330-900neo is more popular with airlines than the A330-800neo. Malaysia Airlines went with that jet.

How this fits into Malaysia Airlines’ fleet

In the future, Malaysia Airlines should have a young fleet. Malaysia Airlines has a fleet.

• Six Airbus A350, which are an average of four years old
• 21 Airbus A330s, which are an average of 11 years old
• 43 Boeing 737s, which are an average of 10 years old (these planes are in the process of being refurbished)
• Malaysia Airlines had six Airbus A380s, but the airline doesn’t plan on flying these anymore

It's in the future.

• Malaysia Airlines will replace current A330s with A330neos
• Malaysia Airlines has 50 Boeing 737 MAXs on order, which will replace existing 737s; these are expected to be delivered between 2024 and 2026

I like the idea of a fleet of A350s, A330neos, and737 MAXs. I don't know if this addresses Malaysia Airlines' profitability issues and financial struggles, but that's a whole different story.

Bottom line

The airline ordered 20 A330-900neos, which will be delivered in late 2023. The airline is going to use these planes to replace older A330s. The planes will fly to the South Pacific and the Middle East.

I want to know what Malaysia Airlines has in store for the onboard product.

What do you think about the A330neo order?