Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), parent company of Malaysia Airlines, has selected the A330neo for the carrier’s widebody fleet renewal programme.

The initial agreements cover the acquisition of 20 A330-900 aircraft, with 10 to be purchased from Airbus and 10 to be leased from Dublin-based aircraft lessor Avolon.

The announcement was made at an event in Kuala Lumpur, attended by MAG CEO Izham Ismail and Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International Christian Scherer, who signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the aircraft to be ordered from Airbus. Agreements with engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce and Avolon were also signed at the ceremony.

Powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, the A330neo will join the carrier’s fleet of six long range A350-900s and gradually replace its 21 A330ceo aircraft,

The carrier will operate the A330neo on its network covering Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East, which will be configured with a premium layout seating 300 passengers in two classes.

In addition to the renewal of the widebody fleet, Airbus and MAG also signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to study a wider collaboration in the areas of sustainability, training, maintenance and airspace management. As at the end of July 2022, the A330neo has received more than 270 firm orders from over 20 customers worldwide.