Malaysia Airlines targets to operate a modern fleet of 116 aircraft servicing 106 destinations across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and beyond by 2035.
Izham Ismail, the group managing director of the airline’s parent company, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), said the renewed fleet’s average age will be seven years, a sharp improvement from the current average of 12 years.
He said this will enable Malaysia to compete with leading premium airlines in the Asia Pacific region by serving high-demand regional routes and key global corridors.
“We have already taken delivery of six A330neos and 14 Boeing 737-8s as part of our fleet modernisation programme.
“These aircraft will strengthen our competitiveness and deliver a more consistent experience for our customers,” he said here today.
Izham said MAG recorded positive financial momentum in the first half of 2025, as its net income after tax improved by 39% compared with the same period last year.
“This was driven by a stronger ringgit, favourable fuel prices, and the efficiency of our new aircraft,” he said.
MAG chief operating officer Nasaruddin A Bakar said Malaysia Airlines currently runs 86 aircraft and will be operating 310 flights a day by the last quarter of this year.
New flights and increased frequencies
Izham also announced that Malaysia Airlines will resume flights to Chengdu next January, while Firefly will begin servicing three new destinations – Siem Reap, Cebu and Krabi – in November this year.
He said the expansion to Chengdu was supported by the recent introduction of mutual visa-free entry between Malaysia and China.
“The load factor for the new destinations is promising. We have already sold 20,000 seats for Chengdu. From our analysis, we see a strong load factor of approximately 90%” he said.
Izham said MAG is prepared to handle any supply chain problems that may hamper flight frequencies for the new destinations, with backup aircraft prepared to handle any unforeseen circumstances.
Both Malaysia Airlines and Firefly will increase their flight frequencies to several international destinations such as Australia and New Zealand, China, South Asia and Singapore, and domestic locations.
Izham said Malaysia Airlines has no plans to resume flights to North America for the next five years because of financial constraints, but the region remains connected for its clients through its code-sharing network.
“We have huge ambitions but we must be careful in managing our funds. We can’t splash all our money to end up where we were 10 years ago,” he said.
