According to sources in the aviation sector, Malaysia Airlines is about to make an official announcement on the acquisition of 20 Airbus A330neo wide-body passenger planes to replace its ailing wide-body fleet.
The wide-body jets will take the place of the flag carrier of Malaysia’s six A330-200s and fifteen A330-300s.
According to unnamed sources who spoke to Reuters on August 10, 2022, the Kuala Lumpur-based airline will probably lease about half of the updated A330neo aircraft and buy the remaining ones directly from Airbus.
Nine Airbus A330-200s with an average age of 13.5 years and 15 A330-300s with an average age of 10.2 years are among Malaysia Airlines’ current mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
According to statistics from Planespotters.com, the airline also runs 44 Boeing 737-800 narrow-body aircraft with an average age of 9.8 years in service and an Airbus A350-900 that is 4.5 years old.
The initial report on the proposed deal surfaced in July 2022. The airline was reportedly close to sealing a contract with Airbus to replace its current fleet of A330s with the more recent type, according to AeroTime at the time.
The A330neo was chosen as the preferred model, and Malaysia Airlines first made a provisional order for Boeing 787 Dreamliners in 2017. However, the arrangement was terminated in favor of Airbus.
Airbus claims that the A330neo has a higher range than the previous generation while using less fuel and emitting fewer carbon emissions.
One strategy used by airlines to reach the target set by IATA member airlines of net-zero by 2050 is the employment of newer, more effective planes.
