Malaysia Airlines fleet

Malaysia Airlines operates a fleet of Airbus A330 and A350 widebodies as well as Boeing 737NG and Boeing 737 MAX narrowbodies.^{[citation needed]}

Current fleet

As of December 2024^[update], Malaysia Airlines operates the following aircraft:^[1][2]

Malaysia Airlines fleet

Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers						Notes
			S	B	E+	E	Total	Refs
Airbus A330-200	6	—	—	19	42	226	287	[3]	To be retired from 2024 and replaced by Airbus A330-900.^[citation needed]
Airbus A330-300	15	—	—	27	16	247	290	[4]
Airbus A330-900	1	19	—	28	24	245	297		Deliveries from Q4 2024 to 2028.[5] Replacing Airbus A330-200 and Airbus A330-300. Order with 20 options.[6]
Airbus A350-900	7	3	4	35	27	220	286	[7]	One aircraft acquired from Scandinavian Airlines, to be retrofitted with new Business Class and unified after 2025.[8][9]
			—	40	32	228	300	^[citation needed]
Boeing 737-800	42	—	—	16	—	144	160	[10]	To be refurbished with new Business and Economy cabins.[11]
				12		162	174	[12]
Boeing 737 MAX 8	5	20	—	12	—	162	174	[13]	Leased from ALC.[14] Deliveries from November 2023 until 2026.[15][16][17]
MASkargo Fleet
Airbus A330-200F	3	—	Cargo					[18][19]
Total	79	42

Gallery

• 
  Airbus A330-200
• 
  Airbus A330-200F
• 
  Airbus A330-300
• 
  Airbus A330-900
• 
  Airbus A350-900
• 
  Boeing 737-800
• 
  Boeing 737 MAX 8

Current aircraft types

Airbus A330-200

Malaysia Airlines has leased six Airbus A330-200s in 2017.^[20] Due to insufficient widebody aircraft and increasing demand these aircraft are used for several high-demand medium-haul routes.^[21] The aircraft are secondhand and have kept the configuration of their previous operator (Air Berlin), this being 19 Business Class seats and 268 Economy Class seats. The airline previously operated five 'older generation' A330-200s between 2003 and 2013. The aircraft are set to be retired and replaced by the Airbus A330-900.^{[citation needed][5]}

Airbus A330-200F

In 2010, Malaysia Airlines has placed orders for 2 Airbus A330-200F for its cargo subsidiary MASKargo.^[22] An addition of 2 more frames were ordered 6 months after.^[23] Previously MASKargo operated a few dedicated B747 freighters and also briefly wet leased an Airbus A300-600F.

Airbus A330-300

Malaysia Airlines' Airbus A330-300 fleet is used to fly medium-to-long-haul routes. They are painted in the new livery and equipped with enhanced in-flight features, as part of the airline's fleet renewal programme. In 2009, the airline ordered 15 Airbus A330-300 with 10 additional purchasing options.^[24] The aircraft has an improved max take-off weight, range and fuel efficiency over the previous older generation aircraft that the airline operated since 1995. The first of these new A330s arrived in 2011 with a total of 15 delivered by the end of 2013^[25] In 2016, the airline refurbished the Business Class cabin of the aircraft with lie-flat seats. The aircraft previously only featured recliner seats.^[26] The fleet is set to be retired and replaced by the Airbus A330-900.^[27]

Airbus A330-900

In July 2022, Malaysia Airlines was reportedly in talks for a $10 billion order of 30 either Airbus A330neo or Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes.^[28] As of August 2022, it was reported that Malaysia Airlines is poised to announce a deal to acquire 20 Airbus A330neo wide-body jets.^[29] In August 2022, Malaysia Airlines confirmed it would take delivery of an initial order of 20 Airbus A330neo aircraft, with purchase options for an additional 20, to gradually replace its A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft between Q3 2024 and 2028 for flights across Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East.^[30][31] The deliveries are set to be split between 10 direct purchases and 10 leases from Ireland's Avolon. On 21 March 2024, Malaysia Airlines revealed the cabin of the A330neo.^[32] The first A330neo was delivered on 29 November 2024.^[33][34]

Airbus A350-900

Malaysia Airlines began taking delivery of six Airbus A350-900 aircraft, leased from Air Lease Corporation in 2017 to replace the ageing Boeing 777-200ER fleet, and was the first A350-900 operator to offer First Class.^[35] They are configured to accommodate 4 seats in First Class, 35 seats in Business Class and 247 seats in Economy Class (286 seats in total) after MAB CEO, Peter Bellew said premium economy seats "would erode our business product and revenues".^{[36][35][37][38]} On 12 December 2018, First Class was rebranded as Business Suite Class.^[39] In 2023, Malaysia Airlines is seeking aircraft lessor to add 4 extra A350s into the fleet due to high demand and increasing capacity.^[40] The airline plans to reconfigure all of its A350s Business Class and remove Business Suites in late 2025, with the seating type to match with the upcoming A330neo.^[41]

Boeing 737-800

The first order for the Boeing 737-800 was first announced at the Farnborough Air Show on 16 July 2008.^[42] In February 2009, Malaysia Airlines received two leased 737-800s in advance of its aircraft.^{[citation needed]} Boeing 737-800s currently account for the majority of aircraft under Malaysia Airlines and are primarily assigned to flights to regional Southeast Asian and domestic destinations. As of 2022, the airline has begun transferring some of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft to its subsidiary Firefly.^[43]

Boeing 737 MAX

Malaysia Airlines originally ordered the Boeing 737 MAX 8 to replace its Boeing 737-800 fleet. An order of 50 frames was made in July 2016.^[44] In September 2016, the airline modified part of the order which consist of 25 Boeing 737 MAX in 2017 which now includes a memorandum of understanding signing of 8 Boeing 787-9 in 2017 with both aircraft expected to enter in 2021. The deal lapsed a year later as nothing firm was signed past the MOU dateline. The airline then opted switch back to its original deal which now includes the ability to convert some of its orders to the Boeing 737 MAX 10.^[45][46] In 2019, as a result of the ongoing Boeing 737 MAX groundings, the airline has opted to suspend its orders for the aircraft temporarily.^[47]

In 2022, Malaysia Airlines has reiterated that it has resumed its order for 25 Boeing 737 MAXs with 25 options with Boeing at a cost of slightly over US$2 billion. The deal retains the airlines' ability to convert some frames to Boeing 737 MAX 10.^[48] In November 2023, the airline has taken delivery of the first aircraft.^[49] The Boeing 737 MAX 8 would be the main workhorse for the airlines domestic and regional network for flights less than 5 hours.^[50]

Fleet development plan

The airline has hinted that it plans to order an addition of 45 new aircraft that would be delivered in 2028 onward based on its long term planning. The order consists of 35 narrowbody and 10 widebody aircraft.^[51][52]

Historical fleet

Malaysia Airlines and its predecessor companies have flown the following aircraft types in the past:^{[citation needed]}

Malaysia Airlines historical fleet

Aircraft	Total	Introduced	Retired	Replacement	Notes
Airbus A300B4	4	1979	1995	Airbus A330
	1		1983	None	Crashed as flight MH684.
	1	1988	1989	None	Short-term lease from Air France.[53]
Airbus A300-600F	1	2008	2010	Airbus A330-200F	Wet-leased from Air Atlanta Icelandic, and operated by MASKargo.[54]
Airbus A310	1	1990	1990	None	Leased from AP Penang.^[citation needed]
Airbus A330-200	5	2003	2012	None
Airbus A330-200F	1	2012	2017	None	Operated by MASkargo and returned to lessor after.^[citation needed]
Airbus A330-300	13	1995	2013	None
	1		2000		Written-off due to chemical cargo incident.[55]
Airbus A380-800	6	2012	2022	Airbus A350-900	All returned to Airbus in exchange for Airbus A330neo.[56]
Boeing 707	10	1967	1980	Airbus A300
Boeing 737-100	5	1968	1972	Boeing 737 Classic	Operated in Malaysia–Singapore Airlines era. Transferred to Singapore Airlines on 1 October 1972.
Boeing 737-200	24	1972	1994	Boeing 737 Classic
	1		1977	None	Crashed as flight MH653.
Boeing 737-300F	2	1993	2000	None	Oeprated by MASkargo.
Boeing 737-400	46	1990	2014	Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-500	9	1992	2000	Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-700/BBJ1	1	1999	2003	None
Boeing 737-800	15	2008	2022	None
	5				Transferred to subsidiary Firefly.
Boeing 747-100	1	1982	1984	Boeing 747-200
Boeing 747-200B	6	1982	2005	Boeing 747-400
Boeing 747-200C	2	1982	1983	None
Boeing 747-200SF	9	2002	2011	Boeing 747-400F	Operated by MASkargo.
Boeing 747-300M	1	1986	1997	Boeing 747-400	Converted into freighter and transferred to MASkargo.
Boeing 747-300SF	1	1998	2002	Boeing 747-400F	Converted from 747-300M passenger aircraft.
Boeing 747-400	19	1990	2012	Airbus A380-800 Boeing 777-200ER
Boeing 747-400F	2	2006	2018	None
Boeing 747-400M	2	1989	2003	Airbus A380-800 Boeing 777-200ER
Boeing 777-200ER	15	1997	2016	Airbus A330 Airbus A350-900
	1		2014	None	Shot down as flight MH17.
	1				Disappeared and crashed as flight MH370.
Bristol Britannia	9	1957	1963	Un­known	Operated in Malayan Airways era.
Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander	4	1965	Un­known	Un­known
de Havilland Comet	7	1962	1969	Boeing 707	Operated by Malaysian Airways/Malaysia-Singapore Airlines 1965-1969.
de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver	Un­known	1948	Un­known	Un­known	Operated by MAL under Federated Air Service.
de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter	7	1966	2006	Un­known
Douglas DC-3	Un­known	Un­known	Un­known	Un­known	Some aircraft were taken over from Borneo Airways. MAL's DC-3 fleet upon the absorption of Borneo Airways in 1965.
Douglas DC-4	Un­known	1946	Un­known	Un­known	Former Borneo Airways fleet.
Fokker F27 Friendship	20	1958	Un­known	Fokker 50
Fokker 50	12	1987	2006	None
	1		1995		Crashed as flight MH2133.
Lockheed Super Constellation	Un­known	1951	Un­known	Un­known	Malayan Airways fleet.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10	3	1989	1991	None	Leased from World Airways.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30	14	1976	1999	Boeing 777-200ER
McDonnell Douglas MD-11	6	1994	2000	Boeing 777-200ER
Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer	2	1956	Un­known	Un­known	Former Borneo Airways fleet.
Vickers Viscount	2	1953	1963	Un­known	Used by Malayan Airways from 1959 to 1963.

References

1. "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World. October 2019: 20.
2. "Malaysia Airlines Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
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5. Freed, Jamie (15 August 2022). "Malaysia Airlines signs provisional deal for 20 Airbus A330neos". Reuters. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
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8. "Malaysia Airlines Welcomes Its First A350 XWB". Malaysia Airlines (Press release). 30 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2020.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
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22. "MAS orders A330-200Fs". flight global. 31 March 2010.
23. "MASkargo orders two more A330-200 freighters". aircargonews. 20 September 2010.
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26. "Malaysia Airlines' turns attention to passenger improvement with new business class seat".
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34. "Airbus delivers first A330neo for Malaysia Airlines". The Star. 29 November 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
35. Amarthalingam, Sangeetha (15 May 2017). "Malaysia Airlines shelves plan for premium economy". The Edge Financial Daily. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
36. Aaron, Chong (23 May 2017). "Malaysia Airlines scraps premium economy on A350s". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
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38. Aaron, Chong (23 May 2017). "Malaysia Airlines scraps premium economy on A350s". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
39. Flynn, David (12 December 2018). "Malaysia Airlines rebrands first class as Business Suites". Australian Business Traveller. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
40. "Malaysia Airlines seeks more narrowbody jets, sees delay on current order".
41. "Malaysia Airlines' new business class for A330neos". One Mile At a Time. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
42. "Ancile". www.deagel.com. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
43. "Malaysia Airlines Transfers domestic operations to firefly".
44. "Malaysia Airlines orders 50 Boeing 737 MAX jets in US$5.5b deal".
45. "Media statement by Malaysia Airlines on Boeing MoU".
46. "Malaysia Airlines' 787 deal with Boeing lapses". 26 September 2018.
47. "Malaysia Airlines suspends Boeing 737 MAX deliveries due to jet's grounding". Reuters.
48. "Malaysia Airlines to take first MAX in 3Q23, options remain".
49. "Malaysia Airlines' first B737 MAX 8 aircraft on its way to Malaysia, welcomes 7th A350-900". 14 November 2023.
50. "Malaysia Airlines to operate Boeing 737 MAX 8 to five international routes from October". 14 August 2023.
51. "Malaysia Airlines considering 45 new aircraft to support growth, says MD".
52. "Malaysia Airlines plans to order 45 additional aircraft". 10 November 2023.
53. "A300B F-BVGM at SIN in '89 taken from the West window at the viewing terrace. note the French (AF) reg". pbase.
54. "MASkargo adds first A300-600 freighter". Flight Global. 10 September 2008.
55. "Database - 9M-MKB". aviation-safety.net.
56. "Malaysia Airlines to return A380s to Airbus by 2023". ch-aviation.com. 30 September 2022.

External links

Media related to Malaysia Airlines fleet at Wikimedia Commons