A330 Neo Order: Malaysia Airlines has ordered an Airbus A330-900 with 300 seats

The division in Malaysia Airlines is currently clear. The national airline of Malaysia uses Boeing aircraft for short and medium-range flights. Currently it is 737-800, From 2023 there will be a maximum of 737. On the other hand, the Southeast Asian country’s national airline relies entirely on Airbus planes for its long-haul routes.

to her Malaysia Airlines has sorted six Airbus A380s. Currently six A350-900 and 21 A330 are in service. However, the airline used to fly Boeing 777 and 747, and orders for Boeing 787s have been in the pipeline in the past. In 2018, it failed.

Half rented and half bought

However, it is not yet clear how Malaysia Airlines will approach the successor to its A330 fleet. It currently consists of six A330-200 and 15 A330-300. There are also three A330 F. Although the A330 Neo was considered the favourite, the Boeing 787 was once again in the running as an outsider. Now the airline has made its decision.

Parent company Malaysia Aviation Group has ordered 20 A330 Neo aircraft for its subsidiary, Airbus announced on Monday (August 15). It buys ten A330-900s directly from the manufacturer and leases ten from rental giant Avolon. However, the group first signed a letter of intent to purchase. In mid-June there was speculation that Can reach 30 A330 Neo.

300 seats announced in two categories

The A330-900, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, will replace the older A330 passenger aircraft. According to Malaysia Airlines, it will be used on routes in Asia, the Pacific region and the Middle East.

The airline announced a “premium layout” for the new aircraft “which provides space for 300 passengers in two classes”. Malaysia Airlines did not disclose an exact breakdown. This roughly corresponds to Tap seating. It offers 298 seats in two classes on the A330-900, but in economy, some classes have more seating.

27 Business Class seats on the A330-300

It currently has 19 business class seats and 268 economy seats on the A330-200. Malaysia Airlines’ A330-300 can accommodate 27 passengers in business class and 263 in economy class. The A350-900 offers small first class with only four seats, business class with 35 seats, and economy class with seating for 247 passengers.

This brings the total backlog of orders for the A330-900 to more than 270 aircraft on order, 73 of which had already been delivered by the end of July. For the smaller A330-Neo, the A330-800, there are only 11 aircraft on order and four deliveries.