Malaysia Airlines will receive its new Airbus A330neo aircraft soon and they have shared extra details about its new business and economy class cabin. The airline’s A330neo also recently won bronze for Cabin Concept of the Year 2024 at the World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo 2024 in Hamburg, Germany.
To recap, the A330neo is Airbus’ next-generation wide-body aircraft which will replace the current generation Airbus A330-200 and A330-300. Malaysia Airlines has placed orders for 20x A330neo (A330-900) and the three will enter service this year.
As shown in their latest video, the national flag carrier will feature 13.3″ 4K in-flight entertainment displays for economy class passengers. This marks a huge upgrade considering their Airbus A350-900 currently offers an 11″ 1080p display in economy. Even its flagship Business Class Suite (formerly known as First Class) is only offering 1080p resolution on its larger 24″ IFE screen.
Malaysia Airlines is using Recaro CL3810 seats for its Economy Class cabin which features an ergonomic design and enhanced support coupled with coat hooks, cup holders and ample stowage for added comfort and practicality. There are a total of 269 seats in Economy Class (including 24 seats with extra legroom) in a 2-4-2 configuration.
The new Airbus A330neo also comes with in-flight WiFi connectivity. As announced previously, Malaysia Airlines is offering complimentary unlimited WiFi to all passengers including economy class. At the moment, the free WiFi service is available on selected widebody aircraft such as the A350-900, A330-300 and A300-200.
For Business Class, Malaysia Airlines’ A330 is using Collins Aerospace Elevation Business Class seats. These seats offer individual privacy doors and wireless charging pad for greater convenience. As revealed in the latest video, the all-new Business Class seats are equipped with a larger 17.3″ 4K screen, which is also a huge upgrade over the current 16″ 1080p screens on the Airbus A350.
There are a total of 28 business class seats on the A330neo laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, which provides direct aisle access to all business class passengers.
The Airbus A330neo boasts greater efficiency with up to 25% reduction in fuel consumption and emission thanks to its new Rolls Roys Trent 7000 engines. The aircraft also gets redesigned wings for improved aerodynamics and it features a new Airspace interior for greater passenger comfort and space.
Malaysia Airlines is expected to receive its first A330neo in Q3 2024 and the first commercial flight is currently planned for Melbourne, Australia. The new A330neo will gradually replace Malaysia Airlines’ existing A330 fleet in stages until 2028.
In case you missed it, we recently visited Airbus’ final assembly facility to check out Malaysia Airlines’ first A330neo in its final assembly process.