BRIGHTER DAYS AHEAD FOR MAS
MALAYSIA Airlines Bhd’s decision to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to convert eight of the carrier’s existing order of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft for 787-9 Dreamliners and eight additional purchase rights of the 737 Max 8s in Washington D.C. last Tuesday is an indication the flag carrier is turning the corner with aggressive plans for expansion.
More often than not, an MoU is a precursor to an agreement materialising.
The decision to opt for the 7879 Dreamliner was not a sudden one and comes as no surprise.
I work for a New York-based company and was privileged to interview Malaysia Airlines chief executive officer Peter Bellew in January.
Malaysia Airlines had evaluated the 787 Dreamliner against the Airbus A330-neo (A330-new engine option) and the A330-300 with the 787.
In 2010, the then Malaysia Airlines System management had also considered the Boeing 787.
While no details of the delivery schedule has been indicated for the 787-9s, Malaysia Airlines could be looking at delivery to start from the third quarter of next year through 2023 on a staggered basis about the same time when the carrier’s fleet of 15 A330-300s’ lease will be close to expiry.
The 787-9 with a range of 14,140km could see Malaysia Airlines resuming flights to Amsterdam and Paris that were dropped with the major restructuring exercise in 2014 or opening new long-haul routes that it had not previously operated.
The aircraft could also be an option for the airline to expand into Japan and Korea and utilised to upgrade routes to India like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai which were all downgraded from the 777-200ER to the 737-800 due to the phaseout of the former fleet during 2015-2016.
Currently operating with 53 737-800s, the decision for eight additional 737 Max 8 aircraft makes Malaysia Airlines one of the biggest Boeing 737 operators.
Last July, it ordered 25 Max 8 aircraft with options for another 25 Max.
At the Paris Air Show in June, Malaysia Airlines converted 10 Max purchase rights for 10 Max 10 jetliners.
Under Malaysia Airlines System, the carrier has operated the 737-100, 737-200, 737-300, 737300QC, 737-400 and 737-500.
The 737-300QC was operated as a freighter and could be converted into a passenger aircraft.
With Malaysia Airlines weathering stiff competition and regaining market confidence, brighter days are ahead.