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An updated report - Cathay A330 in high-energy landing had dual engine problem: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/04/14/340635/cathay-a330-in-high-energy-landing-had-dual-engine-problem.html

PEN-LGK is rather weird - any possibility that it is an unpressurised flight? I guess AK is trying to max the use of their Penang hub aircraft, and perhaps to compete with Firefly...

Some wonderful shots Ah Jon! Don't worry, we will still see more of them as their retirement has been postponed for a bit!

From Bernama: AirAsia X will operate flights to Melbourne and Perth, with three more Airbus A330 aircraft coming in, as securing routes to Seoul and Sydney are a challenge. Currently, it is using six A330 and two A340 aircraft. "For some reasons we are not privileged enough to get some routes. So, we will be adding more flights to Perth and Melbourne and keep pushing Mumbai and New Delhi routes in 2010," says chief executive officer Azran Osman Rani. AirAsia X will service the New Delhi route in August. "However, that doesn't mean AirAsia X is dropping those routes from its plan, we still want to fly to Seoul, Sydney, Jeddah and to one city in Japan as there is huge demand. "So, the guys next door are not going to run away from competition as we will keep throwing in more flights in the current routes," he told reporters after unveiling the budget airline's premium "Lie-Flat Bed" seats at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang today. As for Mumbai, Azran said AirAsia X has the rights to fly four times a week to the Indian city and was pursuing to secure another three more landing rights as only then the route would be economically viable. "We hope to secure the rights within this year. Singapore Airlines operates four flights to Mumbai daily, meaning Malaysia is losing out," he said. Asked on possible code-sharing arrangements with other budget airlines, Azran said it did not make sense to do code-sharing as with on-line booking, travellers could do it themselves Meanwhile, AirAsia X is spending RM110 million to upgrade both premium and economy seats aboard its 11 aircraft, the CEO said. "To refit one aircraft is RM10 million and it will be financed by internally generated funds. We already have eight aircraft and three more will come in by year end with the new seats fitting," he said. The flatbeat seats are standard business class specification of 20" width pitch and can be streched out to 77" when in full reclined position, while the economy class seats have been revamped with new ergonomical, reclineable seats at 31" pitch. The premium seats feature universal power sockets, adjustable headrests and built-in personal utilities namely tray table, reading light and privacy screen. The airline has also moved away from traditional black leather and opted for a mix red and grey to brighten its cabins' ambience. The new seats re-fit will be done in stages for all long-haul flights to Melbourne, Gold Coast, Perth, Taipei, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Chendgu, London, Mumbai and New Delhi, Azran told reporters after unveiling the new seats. The refurbishment will allow AirAsia X's A330 to have a seat configuration of 12 flatbed premium seats from 28 currently, and 365 economy seats from 355 currently, while for the A340, the new configuration will be 18 flatbed compared with 30 now and 309 economy seats from 256 currently, he said. The refurbishment exercise is due for completion in June this year. To introduce the new seats to customers, AirAsia X has thrown in some exclusive promotions with Citibank and some discounts as well.

It might be better if you used a 3:2 ratio for this pix - you have included a lot of foreground. Norman is right - you just got to shoot as many as possible and then submit them. You should probably submit to all the aviation image hosting sites so that you get as much feedback as possible. Don't wait for A.net to reject before sending to JP.net. Send them in at the same time!

A similar sort of crash took place on 2 April - this time Brazilian Air Force: Brazil's air force has started an inquiry after a pilot with the Esquadrilha da Fumaca aerobatic team was killed after his Embraer T-27 aircraft crashed during a display at Lages in the southern Santa Catarina state. The team had been performing at an event commemorating the 68th anniversary of the Aeroclube de Lages, founded in 1942. Video images of the moments preceding the crash indicate that the T-27 entered a steep climb, rolling to the left several times, before entering a rapid dive. Video here: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/04/04/340258/video-brazilian-air-force-probes-fatal-display-team-crash.html

Waiping, if you are travelling on AK, do check your itinerary especially around 1 week to 10 days before departure date. I am off the MFM on Tuesday and my flight was cancelled. My replacement flight was then re-timed and I am scheduled to arrive some 7 hours later. AK has been re-optimising their flights a lot these past few months. So a lot of flights have been cancelled and retimed.

The Star picked up Azran's Twitter discussions and wrote a piece here: http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/3/business/5988613&sec=business Basically it confirms that MH is not prepared to co-operate for the good of Malaysia as a whole, not like what SQ is doing with its LCC Tiger. MH is saying that D7 is free to fly anywhere they like except to destinations where MH is serving! That statement implies MH fears that D7 will take their market share. However, it has been proven that wherever AK and D7 flies (except maybe to Abu Dhabi), it creates its own market. Most of the AK/D7 pax will not be flying if they are not able to get low fares.

Thanks for the correction Mushrif - it is definitely Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad!

What to do - the previous MH management under TR ransacked it. The poor taxpayer had to buy what they already owned - in the WAU exercise. So PNB was set up to own the planes and MH was forced to lease their aircraft from PNB. With regards to the A333 orders, much has been discussed in the other thread. MH, due to their management incompetence, failed to make fleet replacement decisions earlier on. And right now, they do need the new planes desperately! So they had no choice but to order the A333s as ordering other planes will mean a long lead time to delivery. That meant they will have to soldier on with old equipment that may not be worth refurbishing. Both MH and SQ were born out of the same MSA shell. But while SQ has gone from strength to strength, MH has gone from tongkat to tongkat! Sad!

MH sees the A380 as a burden and liability. According the AirAsia X CEO Azran, MH has asked the Malaysian government to protect it from competition on the KUL-SYD route because MH was forced to buy the A380! So I guess that MH views the A380 negatively whereas other airlines (e.g. SQ, EK, etc) sees it as a money spinner. Sad reflection on the MH management - still looking for tongkat.

I think Azran and Tony are more open than most other CEOs. You seldom find Malaysian CEOs who write their own blogs and are constantly on Twitter! Anyway, it looks like MH is really afraid of D7 competition on the SYD route. BTW, D7 will be getting more new A333s this year: XXF in June, XXG July, XXH Nov. Wonder where these planes will now fly to...

I think the A330-200F is a good fit for MH especially for regional cargo. It has a good payload capability and of course, now it will have economies of scale too, with MH also operating A333's.

Azran is flabbergasted!

I am betting on the RR Trent 700s! Most recent airline orders have gone for this engine as it is still being improved by RR all the time. SQ's Trent 700EP are the very latest with even higher fuel efficiency. More info: http://www.rolls-royce.com/civil/products/largeaircraft/trent_700/

Capt TK SIR! I was just wondering - how much more work do you need to do to convert to B738s when those new babies arrive?

New LCCT most likely to be delayed and may not be ready until 2012. Looks like AirAsia's worst nightmare is unwrapping itself! Full story: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/business/58195-new-lcct-targeted-for-end-2011-or-early-2012-says-mahb-

MAS orders A330-200Fs Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has ordered two Airbus A330-200 freighters, along with a previously announced order for up to 25 A330-300 passenger widebodies. It has placed firm orders for two A330-200Fs with options for another two. The first freighter will join the MASKargo fleet in September 2011, says MAS. The airline signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus in December for firm orders of 15 A330 passenger aircraft, and 10 options. Deliveries of these will begin in the first half of 2011, says the carrier. "The new freighters will enable us to better serve the intra-Asia route, and offer direct services to Europe from India and Bangladesh. This complements our expansion plans in China, and will strengthen our position as a key niche player in the region," says MAS managing director and CEO Azmil Zahruddin. MASkargo will fly the new freighters on sectors of up to 3,200nm, says the carrier. The aircraft will be able to carry payloads of almost 70t, it adds. MAS' new A330 passenger aircraft will be configured with 283 seats in a two-class layout, says the airline. "The A330-300 will become the mainstay of the carrier's medium haul passenger fleet and will be used on services to destinations across the Asia Pacific region, as well as up to the Middle East," says MAS, which already operates 14 A330s. MAS plans to expand capacity on some routes from 28 March, and will add more flights to its services to Paris, Auckland and Perth. It expects to announce new destinations from the second quarter of this year, it adds. Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/03/31/340134/mas-orders-a330-200fs.html

AirAsia and AirAsia X prefers the shortest taxi route to the runway, and that usually means 32R. But it does not always get what it requests for, though!

Here is Bernama's report:

I think that it makes sense to go around for two reasons: 1 The crew has more time to prepare for the emergency landing. Its not just the pilots who are involved. The cabin crew need to prepare the passengers too. 2 With more time in the air, the plane can be properly oriented for a single engine landing from the beginning. With hindsight, I think that the captain of this flight did well!

Viva Macau's owners have deep pockets. I am sure that the AOC revocation is just a way to stop them from incurring more debts. They have bought more time to consider what the next step should be.

Looks like the F1 circus is in town! Anyone managed to catch any pix of these specials?

Yes, they are one stop closer to going under - check out story below. Viva Macau's AOC revoked due to financial woes