News
MAB weighs long, thin single-aisle order; Rayani Air’s AOC revoked
June 17th 2016
Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) is looking to add more second- and third-tier destinations in China to its network as part of its restructuring into a regional carrier. Read More » The airline’s outgoing CEO, Christoph Mueller, told Reuters he was studying the A321 and the B737 MAX to open new long and thin routes to feed into its Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) hub. An order may be placed in the coming months.
MAB flies 56 B737-800s, 18 A330s, six A380s and three B747-400s, with the latter used on chartered flights and as ad hoc replacement aircraft. Last week Mueller said the carrier would replace its six A380s with six A350-900s leased from Air Lease Corporation (ALC) from June 2018. “We discussed the disposal of the A380s a year ago and it was premature. We will phase them out in 2018,” Mueller told ATW.
In other Malaysian news, Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has revoked Rayani Air’s air services licence and air operator’s certificate following several safety concerns, staff problems and a DCA imposed missed accounting deadline.
"[The Malaysian Aviation Commission] has found Rayani Air had breached the conditions of its ASL and lacks the financial and management capacity to continue operating as a commercial airline," a statement said. "As a consequence, Rayani Air no longer can operate as a commercial airline with effect from today [June 13, 2016]." Rayani Air was the region’s first Shariah compliant carrier.
