Malaysia Airlines joins Airbus A380 club

Malaysia Airlines has taken delivery of its first A380 aircraft at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, becoming the eighth carrier of the world’s largest and most eco-efficient airliner. The new aircraft will fly non-stop from London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, three times a week, from July 2nd 2012. Malaysia Airlines’ A380 has a capacity of 494 seats, comprising of 350 economy and eight fully-flat first-class seats on the main (lower) deck, and 66 fully-flat business-class and 70 economy seats on the upper deck. The airline has six A380 aircraft on order, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, with the second due to be introduced on the London-Kuala Lumpur route in August 2012, which will provide a daily non-stop A380 service to Kuala Lumpur. The introduction of the A380 follows the upgrading of the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge at London Heathrow’s Terminal 4, which features pre-boarding dining and shower facilities and impressive views overlooking the runway at Heathrow, as well as a new Golden Lounge at Kuala Lumpur. “The A380 showcases our latest premium offering,” said Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, Malaysia Airlines’ chief executive. “This will be our flagship aircraft offering new levels of comfort, luxury and convenience for long-haul travel. “With the A380 in our fleet, we will reinforce our position as one of the worlds’s preferred premium carriers bringing great Malaysian Hospitality to our customers.” Providing new levels of unique Malaysian Hospitality to passengers, Malaysia Airlines’ A380 enhancements will include the introduction of the ‘Chef-on-Call’ service – currently only available to first class guests – for business class passengers. A Thales seat back on-demand system, with easy-to-use on-screen controls, will offer every passenger the latest in-flight entertainment. All seats in all classes are also equipped with USB ports and satellite telephone facilities. Malaysia Airlines is due to join the oneworld alliance in the last quarter of 2012. The carrier is also considered Asia’s Leading Airline by the World Travel Awards.