Malaysia Airlines has decided to upgrade its fleet of A330 jets to the most recent A330neo type, promising passengers a more modern and pleasant experience on flights from Australia to Kuala Lumpur.

The A330neo, an upgraded variant of the “original” A330, features new engine designs and a fresh take on the cabin layout, lessens cabin noise, expands individual seats, and enlarges overhead bins under the Airspace cabin brand.

The A350 is essential for these components, as it introduced various new Airspace elements, including more powerful LED lighting and larger, deeper overhead bins that boost storage space by around 66%.

Between late 2023 and 2028, Malaysia Airlines will replace its current fleet of 21 A330s with 20 A330neo jets, in the larger A330-900 variant, to fly across Asia, the Pacific, and the Middle East. The airline also has the option to buy another 20 A330neo jets.

The A330neo jets will have 300 seats in two classes, up from the 287-290 in its A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft.

Premium passengers are waiting to see if Malaysia Airlines updates its A330 and A350 business class seats to the newest version, Thomson Aero’s Vantage XL model, which features sliding privacy doors.

CEO Izham Ismail of Malaysia Airlines remarked that adding A330neo planes to their fleet would be a “logical transition” from the company’s existing A330ceo planes.

Because of its lower fuel consumption per passenger, the A330neo will help airlines achieve their environmental goals without sacrificing the importance of passenger safety or comfort.

Christian Scherer, CCO & Head of International at Airbus, added, “We are looking forwards to working with Malaysia Airlines to define an extraordinary cabin experience.”

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines has begun operating its remodelled Boeing 737s on domestic and short-range regional routes, featuring new business and economy seats that it describes as “a progressive step towards the future” – even to the point of ditching seatback video screens in favour of beaming movies and TV shows via WiFi to passengers’ own devices.