Malaysia Airlines to begin daily flights to Maldives from Aug

Malaysia Airlines on Friday announced three new routes including to Maldives, as part of its business expansion plan by tapping into the leisure market.

The airline will provide enhanced connectivity from its main hub in Kuala Lumpur, with new direct flights to the locations, with tickets available for sale beginning Friday. Malaysia Airlines will begin daily flights to Maldives from August 1.

“We fairly believe that we are largely competitive in the market. So, if you go down today and buy these fares in MATTA (Fair), I can assure you it will be one of the best deals out there, for a premium carrier, that will give you all those affordable experiences that you get as well,” MAG chief commercial officer of the airline business Dersenish Aresandiran told a press conference.

“Our strategy is to circumnavigate around number one, overcapacity, and to circumnavigate around markets which are heavily driven by leisure markets-leisure markets are actually budget. So, how do we do that? So, it is very key that we drive international flow,” added Datuk Izham Ismail, the group managing director of MAG.

The airline also unveiled its new A330neo business class and economy class seats as part of its fleet modernisation plan, ahead of the first aircraft’s scheduled delivery in the third quarter.

The new A330neo cabin will feature many firsts for Malaysia Airlines and historically in its fleet. Among those is the introduction of the Collins Aerospace Elevation Business Class seats, featuring an all-suite cabin with individual privacy doors, as well as wireless charging pods available at all 28 of the Business Class seats.

Chief operations officer of MAG’s airline business, Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, said that the airline is set to become the world’s leading carrier to feature Elevation seats on the A330 airframe, solidifying its position as an industry leader in passenger experience and innovation.

The Malaysian market holds potential for the Maldives. In the previous year, it ranked 26th as a source market with a notable 13,551 tourist arrivals. As of March, Maldives have welcomed 3,063 tourists from South East Asia.