On August 14, 2022, Malaysia Airlines inaugurated the Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo-Haneda route. The airline made the announcement on their social media with fanfare celebrations.
The aircraft to be used in this route will be an 11-year old Airbus A330-300 with registration number 9M-MTB. This route will be served twice a week. It is worth noting that Malaysia Airlines already flies to three other Japanese Airports.
The other Japanes airports serviced by this airline include the Kuala Lumpur- Tokyo (Narita), Koala Lumpur to Osaka as well as Kotakinabulu to Tokyo Narita route.
“The new service will support Malaysia Airlines’ current Kuala Lumpur-Tokyo Narita operations, enabling more convenient and convenient itineraries and connectivity to destinations outside of Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo via the corresponding international hubs in Japan“, the airline said.
On this route, the airline will use flight MH36 on Sundays and Wednesdays departing from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) at 14:45 local time and arriving in Tokyo Haneda (HND) at 22:45. The reverse leg of the trip will use flight MH37 departing Tokyo Haneda at 00:25 and arriving at Kuala Lumpur at 06:15 local time. Flight MH37 will be serviced twice weekly on Mondays and Thursdays.
Malaysia Airlines begins its latest route – KL (KUL) 🇲🇾 to Tokyo Haneda (HND) 🇯🇵 starting today! The twice-weekly service via the A330-300 aircraft marks the airline's fourth route to the land of rising sun. Sayonara and have a pleasant flight! 👋🏻 #MYairlinesstories pic.twitter.com/hahpEj4LKe
— Malaysia Airports (@MY_Airports) August 14, 2022
Despite acquiring Boeing 787 jets, Malaysia Airlines prefers the Airbus A330. The airline recently upgraded 20 Airbus A330-300ceo to the fuel efficient A330-900neo version.
“The acquisition of the A330neo is a natural transition from our current A330ceo fleet. The A330neo will not only provide fleet modernisation and enhanced operational efficiency, but will also meet environmental targets through reduced fuel-burn per seat, while keeping passenger safety and comfort at its core. This is a significant milestone as MAG moves towards the successful execution of our Long-Term Business Plan 2.0 to position itself as a leading aviation services Group within the region,” the airline CEO said.
Of the 20 airliners ordered, the airline intends to made a direct purchase for 10 aircraft while the other 10 will be leased from Ireland’s Avolon aircraft leasing company.
Currently, Malaysia has 6 Airbus A330-200, two A330-200 freighters, fifteen A330-300s and 6 Airbus A380-800s. Malaysian Airlines has one Airbus A350-900 on its fleet too. It is worth noting that the replacement is essential since all of the airline’s fleet are currently more than a decade years old.
