Summary

  • Malaysia Airlines expects to return to Brisbane in March 2025.
  • Flights will operate five times weekly, more than in that month in 2023 and 2019.
  • While it will rely on transit passengers over Kuala Lumpur, its new schedule means that half its top 10 markets won’t connect anymore.

In its schedule update over the weekend, Malaysia Airlines plans the return of Kuala Lumpur to Brisbane in March 2025. Assuming nothing changes, it will be two years to the month that it last served the 3,476 nautical mile (6,437 km) market. It will coexist with Batik Air Malaysia’s daily Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar Bali-Brisbane operation.

Malaysia Airlines’ Brisbane return

While the oneworld member has served Queensland’s capital for decades, it stopped operating in 2015, only to return three years later. The pandemic meant it suspended flights in 2020, but they were back again in 2022 – for a while.

While subject to change, Malaysia Airlines’ latest schedule shows that Brisbane service will resume from Asia on March 15, 2025. Flights will operate five times weekly. Examining OAG schedules data shows they’re up from three weekly in March 2023, the last time it was served, and four weekly in the pre-pandemic March 2019.

Malaysia Airlines will again fly to five Australian cities, with up to eight daily departures.

Malaysia Airlines A330-300 landing

Photo: Alphonsusjimos | Shutterstock

While the airline’s Brisbane frequencies are higher than before, the equipment type hasn’t changed. The Airbus A330-300 will operate with all aircraft having 290 seats. They feature 27 business class seats (1-2-1 and 1-2-2 configuration) and 263 economy seats (2-4-2). In contrast, Batik Air Malaysia uses the Boeing 737 MAX 8 on its one-stop Brisbane operation.

The schedule is as follows, with all times local. The schedule has changed dramatically compared to 2019, when flights arrived in Queensland mid-evening and then flew back home overnight. Compared to 2023, flights from Malaysia and Australia leave around three hours later.

  • Kuala Lumpur to Brisbane: MH135, 19:40-05:45+1 (Fri, Wed); 20:10-06:15+1 (Mon, Thu, Sat)
  • Brisbane to Kuala Lumpur: MH134, 07:00-13:10 (Thu, Thu, Sat); 07:50-14:00 (Fri, Sun)

Generally speaking, unlike other carriers, Malaysia Airlines has less coordinated Australian schedules. Fewer flights arrive/depart at similar times, usually done for connectivity reasons.

MH Australian flights March 2025

Image: OAG

Where its Brisbane passengers go

Looking back to the full year 2019, before the pandemic, booking data indicates that Malaysia Airlines carried approximately 85,000 Brisbane passengers who transited in Kuala Lumpur. Over three times more passengers connected than only flew to/from Kuala Lumpur.

India was the leading country market, followed by Thailand, Malaysia, the UK, and Vietnam. At the airport level, Delhi-Brisbane was the most popular origin and destination (O&D), followed by London Heathrow, Phuket, Mumbai, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kathmandu, and Penang.

MH BNE passengers

Image: GCMap

The significant change in schedule means that many of the top 10 O&Ds in 2019 will no longer connect to/from Brisbane on a two-way basis, at least not with a competitive schedule. And given the frequency of other players, especially Singapore Airlines (up to four daily flights in March 2025), Emirates (double daily), Cathay Pacific (10 weekly), and a host of others, it must be competitive.

Related

3rd Australian City: Will Air India Announce Brisbane Flights Soon?

The airline has disclosed something that suggests that Brisbane is coming.

Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kathmandu, London Heathrow, and Mumbai no longer connect in both directions. The other markets in the top 10 are fine.

Given that Malaysia Airlines has more flights than previously and more seats to fill, the new schedule – which means fewer of its major markets connect – is highly intriguing. It seems it is betting on further capturing Brisbane-Southeast Asia demand.

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