Airbus A330neos Ordered

Airbus has scored two orders in one day, this time with Malaysia Airlines increasing its commitment to the A330neo.

The long-awaited deal sees the airline place a direct order, thanks to the exercising of purchase rights for an additional 20 A330-900s from Airbus.

The airline states that the newly purchased jets will be delivered by the planemaker from 2029 onwards, over a period of two years, concluding in 2031.

Malaysia Airlines knows that the additional purchase will significantly boost its overall capacity to markets, bringing the total to 40 A330neos that it will eventually operate.

Furthermore, the additional commitment means that Malaysia Airlines will become one of the largest operators of the Airbus A330neo in the Asia-Pacific region.

However, this deal represents just one part of another deal that is currently in the works by the flag carrier in a bid to evolve its wide-body flying and enhance capacity across long-haul markets.

Malaysia Airlines decided to retire the A380, the world’s largest passenger plane, several years ago. With no replacement and a period of restructuring, the airline sees less capacity than it once did.

As a result, there’s an appetite among airlines to increase their widebody flying, and this would be achieved through not a modest jet, but rather a commitment to a plane like the 777X, 787, or even adding more A350s.

The Rise Of The A330neo

When Airbus launched the A330neo, there was no expectation that the plane would sell thousands of units, nor was there a requirement for this series to do so for it to be considered a success.

The A330neo serves as a simpler re-engine to mitigate the strong performance of the Boeing 787. As a result, the Airbus jet offers an alternative for customers’ fleets when focusing on renewal.

Additionally, as A330ceos begin reaching the end of their life, airlines may seek to replace these types with a like-for-like offering instead of switching planemakers, thereby complicating their fleet.

The forward thinking was based on the realisation that the A330neo program may not start with significant orders, but would be a late bloomer and over time see increases in purchases, and that is precisely what has happened.

After experiencing a relatively slow start to operational life and enduring some lengthy periods without a purchase, the A330neo has been able to work its way into the limelight and continues to see deals agreed upon.