Malaysia Airlines has reiterated that it will begin to take delivery of its Boeing 737-800s from the fourth quarter of 2010.
There had been speculation that the carrier could defer the delivery of the aircraft, for which it has 35 on firm order and another 20 on option. But this is not the case, says Azmil Zahruddin, who became the Malaysian flag carrier's CEO and managing director in April.
"As the 737-800NG has extended range and is more fuel efficient, the aircraft will be used for other Asian and Australian destinations as well," he says.
The carrier will also start to take delivery of its A380s from the beginning of 2011. These will be used for high-density routes such as London, Sydney and Amsterdam.
"The strategy behind the fleet renewal is to provide customers with better products and match demand with capacity. In the long run, the efficiency of the new fleet will result in lower fuel cost, engineering and maintenance, and reduction in landing, parking and over flight charges," says Azmil.
"Taking delivery of the 737-800 at the end of next year is perfect timing as the economy is expected to recover then. We will be the second airline in the world to take delivery of the new 737-800 Boeing SKy Interior."
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
