Airbus A350 Retired At Malaysia Airlines?

Malaysia Airlines is in active talks to replace its Airbus A350-900 fleet and is hopeful that a decision will be reached by the end of 2026 on the desired replacement.

MAG President and Group Chief Executive Captain Nasaruddin A. Bakar spoke with the Business Times. They reaffirmed that the ongoing widebody fleet review is still underway and that time is needed to make the best decision.

As part of the pathway to concluding the assessment later this year, the A350 replacement is a key part of that process. This is a widebody, still youthful in production and seen as a tool for decades to come, but it is being axed by Malaysia Airlines.

The Airbus A350 Faces Early Retirement

The removal of widebodies or narrowbodies earlier than typical isn’t uncommon; however, with every aircraft, some jump the gun for many reasons. Malaysia Airlines appears to be one of the headline customers to do the same with its own fleet.

Malaysia Airlines’ fleet of Airbus A350-900s is relatively young compared with many other long-haul fleets at retirement age. Not forgetting, the Airbus widebody remains in production, with deliveries of models secured into the 2030s, meaning the type will fly for decades to come.

The airline has a modest fleet of A350-900s, all on lease, with the first delivery to 9M-MAB coming in November 2017. Since then, the airline has grown its fleet to seven units, with the final handover of 9M-MAH in November 2023.

With the retirement of its Airbus A380 fleet following its grounding during the COVID-19 pandemic and push to streamline and be more efficient, the A350s ultimately assumed the flagship role within the business. However, the business does not own these planes outright; its leases are tied to the jets.

What gives Malaysia Airlines the opportunity to return the frames to their lessors is the conclusion of the deals signed. Then it can pivot to a different long-haul aircraft and strategy for the future. That review is ongoing, looking to decide where the A350 will be placed in the future and what replacement can be sourced for its post-restructuring network.

Airbus A330neo Key For Malaysia Airlines?

The widebody renewal, which has been ongoing for several years, has largely centered on the addition of the Airbus A330neo, with the first order placed years ago, followed by additional orders that doubled the fleet to 40 aircraft.

Despite some teething issues upon delivery of the first A330neo, this fleet has steadily grown, with 10 units delivered, the most recent on 2 March 2026, registered as 9M-MNP, and deliveries set to continue for years to come.

The planes are pivotal to serving the airline’s most important routes, including flights to Australia, New Zealand and Tokyo. These jets help it have one of the youngest widebody fleets in Australasia. With a heavy backlog and being a mid-sized widebody, these jets also cover much of the regional, but medium-haul and long-haul network.

Another Order To Come?

Given the A330neo’s position and previous retirements, the viability of a small fleet of A350-900s has therefore been questioned. Those questions ask whether the Airbus’ new flagship is required, or whether something different to complement the A330neo would be better suited.

A possible alternative angle would be to order an aircraft type a step above the A330neo, such as the A350-900, since the business no longer has the Airbus A380 in its fleet, let alone Boeing 777s. Those retirements, while key to a restructuring airline, did result in a loss of available capacity at some of its premium locations.

A pursuit for a larger plane isn’t something new. As Malaysia Airlines weighed up its future, it was reported in March 2025 that the Boeing 777X could be added to the fleet, with the Business Times saying an evaluation was ongoing. The American planemaker was heavily pitching the jet to the airline.

With Boeing having been a long-time supporter of Malaysia Airlines, and the airline previously flying the 777 family, the 777X, the next step would not just be an evolution of relations but represent a leap above the A350-900 and be reserved for the gap left by the retirement of aircraft like the A380, which were capacity-heavy.

Under the evaluations, Malaysia Airlines needs to determine whether a jet like the 777X, 787-10, or something different is what it needs, not to replace the A350 like-for-like but ensure the A330neo can be complemented deep into the 2030s and 2040s with a plane capable of responding to evolving demand.

Currently, the A350’s retirement has been inked, but active consideration of a new order is ongoing. At the heart of it, the role of the Airbus widebody is diminishing, with a replacement to drive the future of long-haul operations.