Air Lease Corporation (ALC) today announced long-term lease placements for 25 new Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft with Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), parent company of Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB).
The aircraft are scheduled to deliver to the airline starting in early 2023 through the beginning of 2026 from ALCโs order book with Boeing.
In addition to these 25 Boeing aircraft, Malaysia Airlines currently has six Airbus A350-900 aircraft on long-term lease from ALC.
Malaysia Airlines has announced it has recommencedย flights from Penang to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu beginning December 2021 to March 2022 as demand for domestic travels starts to show a positive trend following the relaxation of interstate travel ban and the upcoming year-end holidays.
These routes will soon be served by the airlineโs sister company, Firefly from April 2022 onwards, resuming its jet operations based in Penang which was suspended since April 2021 due to prolonged movement control order that resulted in poor demand. This move complements the Malaysia Airlines in serving the leisure market while diversifying Fireflyโs base connecting secondary cities in Malaysia to East Malaysia.
On December 2, the inaugural flight MH2721 from Penang arrived in Kuching International Airport at 9:55 am (above) and was welcomed with a water cannon salute, followed by cultural performances at the terminal. YB Datoโ Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawakโs Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture and representatives from Malaysia Aviation Group, including Captain Nasaruddin A. Bakar, the Chief Operating Officer of MASwings handed out souvenirs to passengers upon disembarkation.
Group Chief Executive Officer, Captain Izham Ismail of Malaysia Aviation Groupย said,
โMalaysia Aviation Group plays a unique role in stimulating the travel and tourism industry. We are honored to recommence our flight operations connecting key domestic sectors namely Penang, Sabah and Sarawak.
Firefly will soon be resuming its jet operations to serve these key domestic sectors. This move is very timely as air travel gradually picks up domestically and we are ready to serve business or leisure travelers with the connectivity they need. With the resumption of Fireflyโs jet operations, customers will enjoy a flexible service concept โ with product unbundling to suit the leisure focused and price-sensitive customers, providing a more significant value proposition
With these direct flights from Penang to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, coupled with additional frequencies from Kuala Lumpur serving the routes, we are confident that this connectivity will reinvigorate domestic tourism for Malaysiaโs largest secondary cities.โ
The airline currently utilizes the Boeing 737-800 aircraft on both routes and operates four times weekly for Penang-Kota Kinabalu and two times weekly for Penang-Kuching routes.
โFlights table below:
| Routes | Flight No | Time | Weekly Frequency |
| Penang to Kota Kinabalu | MH2730 | 0910hrs – 1210hrs | Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday |
| Kota Kinabalu to Penang | MH2731 | 1310hrs – 1600hrs | Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday |
| Penang to Kuching | MH2721 | 0740hrs – 0955hrs | Thursday |
| MH2723 | 1310hrs – 15255hrs | Saturday | |
| Kuching to Penang | MH2722 | 1110hrs – 1315hrs | Thursday |
| MH2724 | 1625hrs – 1830hrs | Saturday |
*The flight schedule above may change subject to customer demands and government regulations. T&Cs apply.
Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have announced that they will reactivate their codeshare arrangement between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and expand it to include 15 domestic points in Malaysia, seven destinations in Europe, and two cities in South Africa.
This follows the announcement that Malaysia and Singapore will launch a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) arrangement beginning November 29, 2021, providing customers with seamless journeys for their business or leisure travel.
The substantial expansion of the codeshare arrangements, within Malaysia and beyond the two countries, comes amid the gradual reopening of international borders and an increase in the demand for air travel.
Malaysia Airlines will deploy its Airbus A330 aircraft and operate daily return flights from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore between November 29 to December 31, 2021, and gradually increase to 35 weekly flights between January to March 2022, also utilizing its Boeing 737-800s.
SIA will operate 28 weekly flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur from November 29. Details of Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines flight schedules on the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route:
From November 29, 2021, Singapore Airlines customers will be able to progressively connect on Malaysia Airlines services out of Kuala Lumpur as the carrier adds 15 new codeshare destinations in Malaysia. These are Alor Setar, Bintulu, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan, Kuching, Labuan, Langkawi, Miri, Penang, Sandakan, Sibu, and Tawau.
From January 1, 2022, Malaysia Airlines customers will be able to connect on SIAโs flights from Singapore to seven points in Europe โ Barcelona, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Moscow, Munich, Rome, and Zurich โ as well as Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa.
Other points in the Singapore Airlines or Malaysia Airlines network will be progressively added to the codeshare arrangements.
This significant expansion of the codeshare arrangements is the first phase of a wide-ranging commercial agreement that Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines signed in 2019. Under this agreement, the airlines plan to undertake a joint business arrangement between Malaysia and Singapore, subject to regulatory approvals. This would allow the partners to coordinate flight schedules, offer joint fare products, align corporate programs, and explore tie-ups between the KrisFlyer and Enrich frequent flyer programs. Both carriers will also explore joint tourism marketing initiatives and multi-stop itineraries, which would enable customers to travel to more destinations in Malaysia through Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
Top Copyright Photo: Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330-323 9M-MTM (msn 1431) DPS (Pascal Simon). Image: 955890.
Malaysia Airlines aircraft slide show:
Malaysia Airlines aircraft photo gallery:
New research on the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 by Richard Godfrey:
Malaysia Airlines has made the decision to sell its six Airbus A380s.
Malaysia Airlines CEO Izham Ismail announced the decision with this short statement;
โWeโre currently exploring ways of disposing the aircraft. Weโre cognizant of the challenges of how to sell the aircraft but weโre exploring ways.โ
Currently the aircraft are stored. The current market cannot support the large aircraft.
The airline recently flew its flagship seasonally on flights from its Kuala Lumpur hub and destinations such as Sydney, Melbourne, Seoul and Tokyo.
Previously it used the type to fly to London and Paris.
Previously the airline was unable to find any customers to buy the aircraft.
Top Copyright Photo: Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380-841 9M-MNB (msn 081) LHR (SPA). Image: 935726.
Malaysia Airlines aircraft slide show:
Malaysia Airlines has made this announcement:
Malaysia Airlines fans can now enjoy the much-missed inflight cabin experience and get hold of its premium inflight products via the airlineโs flagship e-retail store, Temptations. Exclusive signature items such as pyjamas set, amenity kit and duvet, that were only available to its premium passengers onboard are now available for sale with the convenience of delivery right to customersโ doorstep.
The airlineโs exclusive Business Suite amenity kit which is made in partnership with London-based handcrafted luxury leather goods brand,ย Aspinal of Londonย contains the impressive array of travel essentials such as PAYOTโs skin and body range which includes the Lip Balm and the luxe Hand and Body Lotion, specially designed to pamper customers throughout their journey. The iconic amenity kit is now available on sale for only RM99.
The dual-tone Business Class duvet, which is selling at RM110, is made from a blend of cotton and polyester featuring the airlineโs iconic Wau Bulan, making it a perfect snuggle buddy as customers dream of their next travels with Malaysia Airlines. Meanwhile, the airlineโs premium and comfortable limited-edition Business Suite Pyjamas Set is available for purchase from the convenience of your own home for only RM119. With your comfort in mind, the set comes with a zip-up top, pants, eye mask, as well as socks and slippers thoughtfully packed in a reusable tote bag.
Temptations, the airline’s flagship e-retail store, offers customers the flexibility to shop for their favourite MH merchandise and duty-free items conveniently at their fingertips right from the comfort of their homes. With the ease of delivery to all corners around the world, it makes it so convenient for anyone to get their hands of these highly sought-after exclusive merchandises.
Following the overwhelming response to Malaysia Airlinesโ signature salted peanuts recently, this latest initiative offers customers a taste of the premium Malaysian Hospitality inflight experience especially to those who miss flying with the airline.
Group Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer of Malaysia Airlines Berhad, Lau Yin May, said,ย “We are delighted to offer our exclusive Malaysia Airlines’ Business Suite and Business Class merchandises online in the pursuit of bringing the Malaysian Hospitality experience closer to our customers. Everyone from all walks of life who miss flying with us will now have a chance to re-create their flying experience with our best cabin merchandises at home. Rest assured that these items are all new and ready stocks. We hope that by making these signature items available, our customers can reminisce their happy memories of flying with us as we look forward to welcoming them onboard for their Fly Malaysia experience again soon.โ
Malaysia Airlines aircraft photo gallery:
Malaysia Airlines aircraft slide show:
From Reuters:
“Malaysia Airlines will have to shut down if its lessors decide not to back its latest restructuring plan, the chief executive of the airlineโs parent group was quoted as saying on Saturday.
Netherlands to sue Russia over the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
From Wikipedia:
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) was a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdamย to Kuala Lumpur that was shot down on July 17, 2014 while flying over eastern Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed. Contact with the aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER, was lost when it was about 50ย km (31ย miles) from the UkraineโRussia border, and wreckage of the aircraft fell near Hrabove in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, 40ย km (25ย miles) from the border. It was Malaysia Airlines’ second aircraft loss during 2014, after the disappearance of Flight 370 on March 8. The shoot-down occurred in the War in Donbass, during the Battle in Shakhtarsk Raion, in an area controlled by pro-Russian rebels.ย The Ukrainian Air Force had suffered losses from increasingly sophisticated air defense weaponry.
The responsibility for investigation was delegated to the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) and the Dutch-led joint investigation team (JIT), who concluded that the airliner was downed by a Buk surface-to-air missile launched from pro-Russian separatist-controlled territory in Ukraine. According to the JIT, the Buk that was used originated from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Federation and had been transported from Russia on the day of the crash, fired from a field in a rebel-controlled area and returned to Russia afterwards. On the basis of the JIT’s conclusions, the governments of the Netherlands and Australia held Russia responsible for the deployment of the Buk installation and were pursuing legal routes as of Mayย 2018. The Russian government denied involvement in the shooting down of the plane, and holds the Ukrainian government at fault for allowing civilian flights in a war zone. Immediately after contact with the aircraft was lost, the rebel militia in Donetsk claimed to have shot down a Ukrainian An-26 military transporter. When it became apparent that the wreckage that fell near Hrabove was from a civilian airliner, the separatists withdrew this claim and denied shooting down any aircraft.
The findings by the DSB and JIT are consistent with the earlier claims by American and German intelligence sourcesย and claims by the Ukrainian government.
Above Copyright Photo: Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-2H6 ER 9M-MRD (msn 28411) LAX (James Helbock). Image: 923794.
Malaysia Airlines aircraft slide show:
Malaysia Airlines has increased its domestic and international connectivity beginning June and July respectively, to facilitate essential travels locally and as other countries begin to lift border restrictions.
The airline will adjust its network capacity from time to time to ensure passenger demandsare met, prior to normalizing the schedule in October for both domestic and international destinations.
The resumption of services will allow families who have not been able to return to their loved ones due to travel restrictions in many parts of the world to reunite. Passengers are however, reminded to check entry and exit requirements before their journeys with travel restrictions remaining in place in most countries.
The frequency of domestic flights for June and July are as follows:
| Flights | Months | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Kuala Lumpur – Alor Setar/Johor Bahru/Kota Bharu/Langkawi/Terengganu/ Labuan/Miri/Sandakan/Tawau |
June and July | 2 times weekly |
| Kuala Lumpur – Kuantan/Bintulu/Sibu | June and July | Once a week |
| Kuala Lumpur – Penang/Kuching | June | 3 times weekly |
| Kuala Lumpur – Kuching | July | 5 times weekly |
Frequency of flights for international destinations are as follows:
| Flights | Months | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Kuala Lumpur – Dhaka/Kathmandu/London/Osaka/Narita/ Incheon/Hong Kong/*Melbourne/**Sydney/ Perth/Denpansar/Phuket/Cambodia |
July | 2 times weekly
*Kuala Lumpur โ Melbourne (1 until 18 July) |
| Kuala Lumpur – Chennai/Hyderabad/Mumbai/Bangalore/ Kochi/Sri Lanka/Taipei/Guangzhou/ *Sydney/**Melbourne/Adelaide/Brisbane/ Surabaya |
July | Once a week
*Kuala Lumpur โ Sydney (6 until 31 July) |
| Kuala Lumpur – Manila | July | 3 times weekly |
| Kuala Lumpur – Jakarta/Bangkok | July | 4 times weekly |
| Kuala Lumpur – Singapore | July | 5 times weekly |
Malaysia Airlinesโ Group Chief Executive Officer, Captain Izham Ismail said, โWe are pleased to announce the resumption of our services by increasing capacity to domestic and international routes and we look forward to welcoming our passengers back onboard. We shall continue to ensure their safety, health, as well as their comfort by introducing new initiatives aligned with international safety and health protocols, as part of our commitment to offer passengers peace of mind throughout their journey with us.โ
โI would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers for their continued support and confidence in Malaysia Airlines throughout these challenging times. Following the Malaysian Governmentโs recent announcement on interstate travel, we have also released a special video titled โReady to fly and rediscover Malaysiaโ which is available on Malaysia Airlinesโ social media platforms. We hope that by showcasing unique and beautiful domestic attractions located across Malaysia, we can inspire local travellers to explore the beauty of our homeland and boost local tourism efforts.โ
At the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, Malaysia Airlines has implemented various enhanced safety measures and protocols in coordination with health and airport authorities to ensure passengersโ health and wellbeing are taken care of. These measures include temperature checks, sanitization and disinfection of all properties and facilities, enforcement of social distancing, mandatory usage of face masks and installation of protective screen barriers at check-in counters and transfer desks at KL International Airport (KLIA). All Malaysia Airlines frontliners on ground and onboard are required to wear personal protective equipment and their health screened daily. Even upon arrival, passenger luggage will be sanitized.
These health and safety precautionary measures are also extended to the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounges which is planned to be re-opened on 1 July 2020.
At the same time, Malaysia Airlines passengers can continue to enjoy hours of inflight entertainment on their seatback screens, Wi-Fi connectivity and comfort amenities of hygienically packed pillows and blankets available on selected flights. Inflight dining has been modified to limit contact between cabin crew and passengers but are assured to be substantial for all cabin classes especially on long haul flights.
The airline also ensures all its aircraft are cleaned and disinfected before and after every flight, while lavatories will be kept clean during flight by cabin crew at regular intervals. Other inflight services such as reading material, inflight duty-free and retail will continue to be suspended for the time being.
Malaysia Airlines aircraft photo gallery:
From Sky News Australia:
MH370: The Untold Story reveals shocking allegations and startling information about what actually happened during the disappearance of flight MH370, what the authorities both locally and in Malaysia really knew and exactly where experts believe the plane could be found.
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