The managing director of Malaysia Aviation Group says he is open to ordering Airbus narrow-body aircraft to break Boeing’s dominance of the narrow-body fleets of Malaysia Airlines (MH, Kuala Lumpur International) and Firefly (FY, Penang). However, he says the order for his second aircraft is likely to be delayed as the Request for Proposal (RfP) is postponed to the end of the year.
“The tender is for the second phase for the remaining 25 or more narrow-body aircraft and can be any type,” Izham Ismail recently told Malaysia’s Business Times. “We are agnostic. We will see what is best.”
Malaysia Aviation Group ordered 25 B737-8s and 20 A330-900Ns as part of the first phase of its fleet renewal plan in 2022. Until now, the airline holding company has relied on Boeing for its narrow-body aircraft, particularly the B737-800 and more recently the MAX, while Airbus now supplies the group’s wide-body aircraft, mainly A330 types but also some A350-900s.
The fleet renewal programme has been split into two orders, the first of which has already been placed and the second is still pending. Ismail said the narrowbody options for the second order included the B737 MAX, as well as the A320neo and A321neo, while the A330-900 was the likely widebody option. However, MAG has decided to extend the RfQ deadline while they re-evaluate the original plans for the fleet renewal programme. Still, he acknowledged that the company cannot be too hesitant in its decision-making.
“We are halfway there (in terms of completing the RFP), but we are very conscious that it cannot take too long because otherwise we would not get production slots at the plant,” Izham said.
Meanwhile, Izham does not expect any further delays or cuts in B737-8 deliveries. The company was originally scheduled to receive 12 of the type this year, but Boeing reduced the number to seven. Four have arrived so far, and Izham expects the remaining three by the end of the year. However, he said the leases for some B737-800s have been extended as a contingency plan. The first A330-900N is due to be delivered in September 2025.
“We cannot continue to operate outdated aircraft,” he said. “No doubt our aircraft are safe, but they are tired. This requires investment.”
MAG’s main carrier, Malaysia Airlines, flies to 80 destinations in 24 countries. According to ch-aviation’s fleet module, its 92 aircraft include six A330-200s, three A330-200Fs, A330-300s, seven A350-900s, nine (wet-leased) ATR72-500s, four B737-8s, 42 B737-800s and six DHC-6-400s (operated by MASwings (MY, Kota Kinabalu)). MAG’s low-cost carrier FireFly flies to 25 airports in six countries with a fleet of 15 aircraft, including ten ATR72-500s and five B737-800s.
