Malaysia Airlines welcomes first B737-800 with new livery

Malaysia Airlines this week welcomed the arrival of its first B737-800 with a new dynamic looking livery.

The first of up to 55 B737-800 ordered, the latest generation aircraft equipped with the new Boeing Skyline Interior will offer customers a better travel experience.

Guests in business and economy class will enjoy inflight entertainment system which offers audio and video on demand, roomier interior, better ambience, higher ceilings and mood lighting.Chairman, Tan Sri Dr. Munir Majid said, “Malaysia Airlines is proud to announce that we will be the first full service airline in the world to operate the B737-800 with the new Boeing Sky Interior.

“We have two flights scheduled on Monday, 15 November 2010; an inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu followed by the commercial flight from Kota Kinabalu to Haneda, Tokyo.”

The 160-seater aircraft sports a new dynamic livery with red and blue lines, Malaysia Airlines’ corporate colours.

Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Tengku Dato’ Sri Azmil Zahruddin said, “The dynamic livery epitomises our determined spirit to provide Malaysian Hospitality to our guests.

 “When deciding on the new livery, we considered a number of designs including those that were similar to our very popular hibiscus and heliconia designs. However, these designs added a significant amount of weight to the aircraft, which would not have been very environmentally responsible. Therefore, we went for a cleaner design that is more flowing and environmentally friendly.

“We will receive 3 B737-800 this year, and our first A330-300 next year. These are exciting times for Malaysia Airlines and our customers who will enjoy the latest generation aircraft.”

Malaysia Airlines have ordered up to 55 B737-800, 25 A330-300 and 6 A380.

The B737-800 with up to 6 hours flight time left Boeing field in Seattle, United States on 29 October on a 3-day multi leg journey, stopping at Hawaii, Marshall Islands and Guam before arriving at Skypark, Subang.

The Captains performed a touch and go, where the aircraft landed, taxied and took off again. The aircraft also received a water cannon salute, a special welcome for the new B737-800.

There were 3 Captains on board — Captain Muhammad Affindy Abd Rahman, Flight Operation Manager, B737-800 Project; Captain Niazi Saif Ud Dean, Flight Operation Manager, Flight Safety Human Factors; and Captain Khairul Syukri Khalid, Authorised Examiner B737-800.

The Captains were part of a 10 person acceptance team which included 7 engineers led by Senior Vice President, Quality and Engineering, En Rashidi Saidin.

Over the past week in Seattle, from 25 to 29 October 2010, the acceptance team conducted a series of tests including a customer test flight to ensure that the aircraft is ready for delivery.

 

Malaysia Airlines offers All-inclusive fares from RM399

to South Asia

Malaysia Airlines is offering great deals with its “South Asia Galore” promotion from now to 7 November 2010.

During this period, customers can take advantage offers from RM399 to Chennai, RM439 to New Delhi, RM449 to Hyderabad and RM599 to Karachi. They can also explore Bangalore, Dhaka and Colombo from RM489. These fares are all-inclusive for one-way economy class travel and include airport tax and fuel surcharge fees.

Commenting on the special offers, Malaysia Airlines’ Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Dato’ Bernard Francis said, “South Asia is an important market for us as the region is highly populated with high economic growth. With so many expatriates in Malaysia, this is a good opportunity to grab value deals for air travels while enjoying our Malaysian Hospitality at the same time.

 “To take advantage of these deals, a tip would be for travels to be made on week days when the demand is generally lower. With a travel period of over 7 months on offer, customers can enjoy greater flexibility. In addition, the strengthening of the ringgit also makes this is a good time to plan for the holidays,” he added.

The fares are available for purchase online at www.malaysiaairlines.com and appointed travel agents.

Malaysia Airlines commenced operations in South Asia in 1974. It began by initially operating one flight per week from Kuala Lumpur to Chennai. It now operates a total of 38 weekly flights to India comprise Chennai (7 flights), Bangalore (7), New Delhi (12), Hyderabad (5) and Bombay (7).  Malaysia Airlines also operates 7 weekly flights to Malé, Karachi (2), Dhaka (7), and Colombo (5).