Malaysia Airlines to acquire 20 A330neos for wide-body fleet renewal

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), parent company of Malaysia Airlines, has selected the Airbus A330neo aircraft for the carrier’s wide-body fleet renewal programme. The initial agreements cover the acquisition of 20 A330-900 aircraft, with ten aircraft to be purchased from Airbus and ten to be leased from Dublin-based Avolon.

The announcement was made at an event in Kuala Lumpur, attended by MAG CEO Izham Ismail and Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus Group International Christian Scherer, who signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the aircraft to be ordered from Airbus. The agreements with engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce and Avolon were also signed at the ceremony.

Powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, the A330neo will join the carrier’s fleet of six long-range A350-900s and gradually replace its 21 A330ceo aircraft. The carrier will operate the A330neo on its network covering Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East. Malaysia Airlines will configure its A330neo fleet with a premium layout seating 300 passengers in two classes.