Artist’s impression of an A330-900 in Malaysian Airlines livery
Photo by: Airbus
Europe-based global major aerospace group Airbus and Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG – the parent of the South East Asian country’s national flag carrier, Malaysian Airlines) announced in Kuala Lumpur on Monday that the latter had selected the former’s A330neo to renew its fleet of widebody airlines. Simultaneously, MAG and UK-based power and propulsion systems group Rolls-Royce announced that MAG’s new Airbus A330neos would be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines. (The suffix -neo in the aircraft’s designation stands for ‘new engine option’.)
The version of the A33neo selected by MAG is the A330-900, the larger of the two A330neo models (the other being the A330-800). MAG will receive 20 of the new airliners, ten acquired directly from Airbus and the other ten leased from Ireland-based lessor Avolon. The contracts between MAG, Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Avolon were all signed at the same time.
Malaysian Airlines currently operates six new generation Airbus A350-900 long range airliners and 21 A330s powered by previous generation engines (now called A330ceos). The A330neos will gradually replace the latter, and will be operated on the carrier’s Asia, Pacific and Middle East networks. The new airliners will be configured to carry 300 passengers in two classes.
In addition to its new-generation Trent 7000 engines, the A330neo benefits from a new wing design and a number of other aerodynamic innovations. As a result, it has 25% less fuel consumption and carbon emissions than previous generation airliners. The A330-900 has a non-stop operational range of 13 300 km. As of the end of last month, total A330neo orders stood at more than 270, from more than 20 customers around the world.
“The acquisition of the A330neo is a natural transition from our current A330ceo fleet,” noted MAG CEO Izham Ismail. “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.”
“Malaysia Airlines is one of the great Asian carriers and we are proud and humbled to be its preferred supplier of widebody aircraft,” affirmed Airbus chief commercial officer and Head of International Christian Scherer. “The decision is a clear endorsement of the A330neo as the most efficient option in this size category for premium operations. It’s also the clear winner in terms of in-flight comfort and we are looking forward to working with Malaysia Airlines to define an exceptional cabin experience.”