MAS flies to three new stops to boost Asean presence

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines will be flying to three new destinations to boost its presence within key markets in Asean.

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) chief commercial officer of airlines Dersenish Aresandiran said the airline will enhance connectivity from its main hub in Kuala Lumpur with new direct flights to Male in Maldives, Da Nang in Vietnam and Chiang Mai, Thailand with tickets available for sale beginning yesterday.

He said the airline will commence daily flights to Male beginning Aug 1, 2024; daily flights to Da Nang effective on Sept 24 and five times weekly flights to Chiang Mai starting Aug 15, 2024.

“This marks the airline’s 13th destination in South Asia and 16th in Asean as it seeks to boost presence within key markets, strengthen its position as the gateway to Asia and beyond in line with its commercial elevation journey,” he said at a press conference held in conjunction with the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair 2024 today.

“As a member of the Oneworld alliance, Malaysia Airlines currently offers superior connectivity to more than 900 destinations in 170 territories across the globe,” he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd (MAG) group managing director Datuk Captain Izham Ismail said the company has also looked into how to circumnavigate bilateral rights to tier 2 and 3 cities.

Cities are classified based on infrastructure development, economic growth, population size, and quality of life.

“We have to make the route either part leisure or part commercial. Malaysia Airlines has to be smart in deploying those routes,” he said, adding that the airline has to meet certain cost components for a particular route to be effective.

During the event, MAG also unveiled its new A330neo business and economy class seats as part of its fleet modernisation plan, ahead of its scheduled delivery in the third quarter of 2024.

Izham said the new A330neo cabin will introduce what it calls “elevation business class” seats, making it a leading regional carrier to feature a full-suite business class with privacy doors on the A330 airframe.

MAG is on track to integrate 12 new aircraft into its fleet in 2024 and is optimistic about operating a fleet comprising 50 narrow-body and 50 wide-body aircraft by 2033.