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MAB to Lease 6 Ex-Air Berlin Airbus A330-200 Aircraft from February 2018

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A332 has the necessary range as it has activated centre fuel tanks. Only the 242t A333 with activated centre fuel tanks can do Europe.

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I think those AA A333 will be picked up by charter airlines if price is right due to its age or send to desert straight away. MAB will definitely not take up such old aircraft, but then again it is MAB we are talking about, stranger things have had happened.

 

AA has no plan to release their RR powered A332 anytime soon due to larger number while those A333 will be retired this year. (15 A332 vs. 9 A333)

 

The AA A330s was inherited from US Airways right?

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Leasing option for Malaysia Airlines as demand rises
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines Bhd will lease a dozen second-hand wide-body aircraft from now till the end of 2019 while waiting for new aircraft deliveries, as it does not have enough capacity to serve nine key routes across Asia.
Chief executive officer Peter Bellew said a decision on the type of aircraft will be made by the end of June.
He said passenger loads were rising and demand for the airline’s services, including business class, was growing.
“We just don’t have enough capacity, so we are looking at six wide-body A330 for 2018 and six more in 2019. The nine routes are across Japan, Taiwan, China, India and Indonesia,” Bellew said.
“In the longer term, till 2023, we would need 30 to 35 wide-body aircraft,” he said.
The airline will take delivery of the first of six new A350-XWB aircraft by year-end, which will be used to replace the A380 superjumbos that will be converted to cater to haj flights under a plan named “Project Hope”. The haj flights will begin at the end of the year.
The airline has also ordered 25 of the new B737-Max 8 planes, with delivery deadlines starting from the end of 2019. However, with Boeing facing engine issues, there could be delays in the delivery.
“The biggest challenge is the lack of business class seats, as we have seen a 90% increase in bookings over the last nine months. Wide-body planes will have lie-flat beds and twin aisle, which gives great comfort,” he said.
“This will allow us to grow sensibly with minimum risk on existing routes with a high degree of certainly and success,” he said.

 

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Malaysia Airlines close to deal for more widebody Airbus planes

 

Malaysia Airlines is close to signing deals for six or seven second-hand widebody A330 planes for its fleet this year as it seeks to grow on international routes amidst good demand for summer bookings, its chief executive said on Sunday.

 

"We've found the planes, we're in the process of doing due diligence," Peter Bellew told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the International Air Transport Association. He said he hopes to sign a deal in July and the planes, which have Wi-Fi and lie-flat seats in business, could enter the airline's fleet by the end of the year.

 

More:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-airlines-iata-malaysia-airlines-idUSKBN18V120

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WIFI and flatbeds? So Alitalia's?

I think the writing is in the wall few months ago, big chance they are indeed from AZ.

 

From Alitalia website: https://www.alitalia.com/en_gb/fly-alitalia/travel-classes/business-long-haul.html

 

COMFORT AND ADVANTAGES
  1. Access to the Alitalia and SkyTeam Lounges, dedicated check-in desks and priority gates where available
  2. Baggage allowance of two items weighing up to 32 kg
  3. Leather seats that recline up to 180°, have a fully horizontal bed position and a massage function
  4. A particularly relaxing cabin, thanks to a lighting system with lights that vary in intensity and color depending on the time and the stages of the journey on the new A330s
  5. 15” (B777 fleet) and 15,4” (A330 fleet) personal screens, a vast library of movies, games, music and TV programs. Find out more about on-board entertainment.
  6. WiFi, GSM and live news. Find out more about on-board connectivity.
  7. Inflight service with meticulous attention to detail and products offered together with some of the biggest names in Italy: a night kit (blanket and pillow), Richard Ginori chinaware, silverware.

Connectivity On Board: https://www.alitalia.com/en_gb/fly-alitalia/in-flight/connectivity-on-board.html

 

Alitalia's commitment to refreshing the services available to you is continuing. Stay connected during your flight by making phone calls, sending texts, posting on social networks, replying to your e-mails or following the latest news on our live channels.
From April the service will be a lot cheaper! You will finally be able to chat and surf the web at 30,000 feet at really competitive prices: four packages suited for every need.
This technical innovation is aimed to reposition the company as a leader in high-quality services and to represent the best of Italy to the world. In order to offer this new service, our entire long-haul fleet will be gradually fitted with satellite antennae.
All this while flying over oceans, at 30,000 feet above the clouds — it's simple!
Log in to Alitalia's Wi-Fi network
As soon as you are permitted to connect your device (laptop, tablet or smartphone), when the browser starts you will be taken straight to the Alitalia Wi-Fi portal homepage, where you can purchase a tariff package.
Make phone calls, send texts and surf the web with international roaming
Once it is permitted, activate your device to connect to the roaming signal which will allow you to use the device in the same way as when you are abroad.
The availability of services and international roaming tariffs applied depends on the agreement between your operator and the supplier of the inflight roaming service (AeroMobile).
Edited by JuliusWong

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WIFI and flatbeds? So Alitalia's?

The Reuters news article specifically reported that it is NOT the Alitalia aircraft.

Edited by flee

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The Reuters news article specifically reported that it is NOT the Alitalia aircraft.

That's because people didn't click on the article ;) indeed it's stated in there that it's NOT from AZ because Bellew think that AZ will indeed survive for now.

 

More interestingly, from the article:

 

Malaysia Airlines is also due to receive the first two of six new A350 planes this year from Airbus SE (AIR.PA), but deliveries have been delayed due to issues with cabin equipment supplied by France's Zodiac Aerospace PA (ZODC.PA).

Haven't they learned from CX, AA, and now UA that Zodiac has seat quality and delivery issues? So that means the current Vantage on the 330s are out (unless Zodiac is only supplying Y seats).

Edited by Craig

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I think the writing is in the wall few months ago, big chance they are indeed from AZ.

 

From Alitalia website: https://www.alitalia.com/en_gb/fly-alitalia/travel-classes/business-long-haul.html

Oppps, sorry guys. False alarm. Ignore what I have written.

 

If it is A330-300, Singapore Airlines would be a good source. if it is A330-200 LATAM and Emirates will be good source but their aircraft are very old and battered. Really interesting to know where are they coming from. This is the second time MH bought used A330.

Edited by JuliusWong

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9M-MTA was delivered about 6.3 years ago - so it still has at least 10 years of useful service life for MAB.

 

If MAB places an order now for 2019-2020 deliveries, these would most likely be used for expansion initially. It will be too early to retire MTA unless they have no cabin refurbishment plans for it.

 

The source of those used aircraft will be interesting - MAB does not like to pay a premium price, and I doubt that these will be ex-SQ. It is more likely to be aircraft that are 10-15 years old - they will not cost so much. A 5-6 year old lease on them would probably the maximum MAB will take because they can be returned once the factory fresh aircraft are delivered.

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Oppps, sorry guys. False alarm. Ignore what I have written.

 

If it is A330-300, Singapore Airlines would be a good source. if it is A330-200 LATAM and Emirates will be good source but their aircraft are very old and battered. Really interesting to know where are they coming from. This is the second time MH bought used A330.

 

 

SQ's A330 dont have flatbeds, and I dont believe they have WIFI too.

That's because people didn't click on the article ;) indeed it's stated in there that it's NOT from AZ because Bellew think that AZ will indeed survive for now.

 

More interestingly, from the article:

 

Haven't they learned from CX, AA, and now UA that Zodiac has seat quality and delivery issues? So that means the current Vantage on the 330s are out (unless Zodiac is only supplying Y seats).

 

Prob only Y seats. New A350s said to have Vantage XLs.

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SQ's A330 dont have flatbeds, and I dont believe they have WIFI too.

 

Prob only Y seats. New A350s said to have Vantage XLs.

Yes, as I have said it doesn't necessarily be from SQ but it will one of the many good sources. Since the 787 and A350 delivery have picked up, there are a few airlines shedding their A330s, it will be interesting to see where they are coming from.

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Yes, as I have said it doesn't necessarily be from SQ but it will one of the many good sources. Since the 787 and A350 delivery have picked up, there are a few airlines shedding their A330s, it will be interesting to see where they are coming from.

 

If the Reuters article is accurate, SQ will not even be a source.

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I'm just a bit confused because we let go of MH A330-300 and -200s a few years back and now we're on the market for some 2nd hands a330s.

Those are 1990s vintage frames - not as capable as the greatly improved ones that we have the past 10 years.

 

D7's 9M-XXA (MSN 952) is an almost 9 year old frame. This is a good deal more capable than MH's 9M-MKA (MSN 067) that was delivered in 1995.

 

Airbus continually improves its aircraft as the years go by - tidy up aerodynamics, reduce weight, improve fuel burn, increase MTOW, etc.

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Based on what's been said so far, the hints are at getting grounded airframes from existing operators with significant A330s rather than the big leasing giants.

 

Now that Alitalia is out of the picture, my bet is on Turkish Airlines' A330s.

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Probably too early to say this, but QR might be an option?

Might be, but only selected Qatar A330-203 has Wifi connectivity. QR A330 fleet (both -200 and -300, all GE powered) is a mix of good and bad. Business Class has the Diamond B/E seat full recline and angled lie flat seat. They seems to be not shedding their A330 fleet fast despite the many B787 and A350 delivery.

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Yes, they have already done that - the aircraft are now being inspected and checked. Deliveries should begin towards the end of the year, when the legalities and business end of things have been duly completed. These are the short term leases that will help to cover the shortages that the airline is currently experiencing.

Where are the actual leased frames being sourced from? So far I've read TK, SQ, QR and Alitalia.

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Where are the actual leased frames being sourced from? So far I've read TK, SQ, QR and Alitalia.

No one knows for sure except MH senior mgt. Definitely not Alitalia, Peter Bellew has mentioned AZ will survive its current meltdown so their A332 fleet is no longer available. On top of it, AZ is adding another A332 GE powered from TK. TK is also keeping their 16 A332 for now, shedding other four in next few months (one each to Eurowings and Alitalia, both GE power) and two ex LATAM (PW powered) returning to lessor. They are flying their A333 (both GE and RR power) to max, don't see them shedding either. SQ and QR are possible but SQ are A333 RR power and QR seems to be not shedding their A330 fleet soon too. We can only know when the fleet get delivered.

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