KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) will announce its second batch of new narrowbody aircraft orders on Friday, March 21.It is believed that the aviation group had set its eyes on a combination of up to 25 Boeing 737 MAX family aircraft, most likely the MAX 8 and MAX 10.Business Times learnt that the group is considering offering luxurious cabin configuration with lie-flat Business Class seats on its new single-aisle fleet, similar to what is being offered by Singapore Airlines, flydubai and America's United Airlines.
The new aircraft would be part of MAG's fleet renewal programme.When asked about potential aircraft delivery delays from Boeing, sources said that the earliest delivery for any new planes would be from 2031 onwards."In any case, the earliest delivery for any new (aircraft) order now is 2031 onwards for both Boeing and Airbus," the sources said.
Earlier today (March 18), MAG had sent out a media invitation for the official announcement for the replacement of its narrowbody aircraft.The event will be attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.The second batch of the new aircraft order was supposed to be announced in 2024.
However, MAG's managing director Datuk Captain Izham Ismail told Business Times in an interview last year that the group had to review its network again due to global external changes.MAG, who was then Malaysia Airlines Bhd, had ordered 25 B737 MAX 8 in 2016 as part of its first batch of new narrowbody orders. The group received i.