KUALA LUMPUR: MALAYSIA Airlines entered a new era when the first of its fleet of superjumbo Airbus A380 touched down at 3.55pm in Kuala Lumpur International Airport Wednesday.
The second aircraft is expected to arrive here by the end of the year and two others by early next year. MAS group chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, who was onboard the A380 on its flight home after receiving it from its manufacturer, said having the fleet of A380s would give MAS an opportunity to reclaim its glory.
"Our fleet of A380s will be the newest in the region. We will also introduce products and services which we believe will stand out from our competitors. "We really want to be the best in the region again and we are doing all that we can, both in short- and long-term initiatives to achieve this objective." Bloomberg reported earlier this week that seats on MAS first-class are five inches wider than the competition.
MAS passengers on such seats will have more space than on a single-bed mattress. MAS area manager (UK &Ireland) Yuzrizal Yousuf described the report as one of the many initiatives in place to reinforce the airline's position as a leader in the premium market.
"With the new A380, we can expect an extra 3,000 seats to be sold in the coming July/August period. The demand for seats on the A380 has been high. "With a month to go, our figures show that 80 per cent of the available seats have already been snapped up."
The plane will head back to Toulouse, France, for the finishing touches on June 6, incorporating the new MAS livery and to iron out other technical matters. The A380's commercial debut is set for July 1 as a thrice-weekly KL-London service, before going daily in August. Malaysia Airlines will also introduce the A380 to its Sydney-Kuala Lumpur route beginning Sept 25, running as the daily MH122/123 service, replacing the current Boeing 747-400.
-NST Online.
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