Malaysia Airlines placed an order for Boeing 737 MAX back in 2016. After a number of delays and seven long years later, the airline welcomed the first airframe of the type in Kuala Lumpur. The aircraft is scheduled to enter into service later this month.
Continue reading to learn more about the first Malaysia Airlines 737-8, as well as the Malaysia 737 MAX situation overall.
Malaysia Airlines’ First 737-8 Wears a Modified Flag Livery
While the airline was expecting the first 737-8 to join its fleet back in August, the aircraft ended up being ferried between November 13 and 16, 2023, instead.
Rather than being in Malaysia Airlines’ standard livery, the airline’s first 737-8 (registered 9M-MVA) wears a slightly modified version of its special flag livery. As the livery’s name suggests, the aircraft features a large Malaysian flag across the rear portion of its fuselage.
The modification was done to the Malaysia Airlines logo on the aircraft’s tail which features a traditional songket motif. Whether the logo will also be applied to other future aircraft delivered to the airline remains to be seen. In either case, it looks great.
The aircraft departed Boeing Field in Seattle on the afternoon of November 13, 2023, as flight MH5041 and arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 10:28AM local time on November 16, 2023. On the way, it made technical stops in Honolulu and Guam.
Malaysia Airlines 737-8 Order, Cabin & Routes
With the first 737-8 in its fleet, Malaysia Airlines has 24 more of the type on order through a lease agreement with Air Lease Corporation. It plans to receive the last of those airframes in 2026. In addition to the shorter 737-8, Malaysia Airlines also has 10 of the longest Boeing 737 MAX variant (737-10) on order.
The first 737-8 and the remaining aircraft on order will seat a total of 174 passengers. In addition to 162 economy class seats in a 3-3 layout, they will also be equipped with 12 recliner business class seats.
Malaysia Airlines decided to equip the 737-8s with the same seats as it is refurbishing its 737-800s with. These were first introduced in 2022 and include USB-A and USB-C charging ports in both economy class and business class. The business class seats also have universal power outlets.
The first flight of Malaysia Airlines’ first 737-8 is expected to take place on November 20, 2023, on the domestic Kuala Lumpur – Kota Kinabalu route.
According to a report by the New Straits Times, the aircraft is also expected to be introduced to a number of other domestic and international routes out of Kuala Lumpur in the near future. Expected domestic destinations include Kuching, Miri, and Penang. Expected international destinations include Denpasar and Jakarta in Indonesia, Kathmandu in Nepal, Manila in the Philippines, and Phuket in Thailand.
Summary
After a long wait, caused by the global 737 MAX grounding and other issues, Malaysia Airlines finally received its first 737-8 earlier this week. In the next few years, it expects 24 more of the type to join its fleet along with 10 of the longer 737-10.
The first 737-8, which is registered 9M-MVA, was ferried from Boeing Field to Kuala Lumpur via Honolulu and Guam. It is expected to enter into commercial service on November 20, 2023, with a domestic flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu.
Later on, as the airline takes delivery of more 737-8s, it also appears to have plans to deploy it on additional domestic routes as well as international routes to Indonesia, Nepal, and Thailand among other places.
