MAS TO TAKE DELIVERY OF FIRST A380 NEXT JUNE

From Shanti Ayadurai

TOULOUSE (France), June 23 (Bernama) -– Malaysia Airlines expects to take
delivery of its first A380 airplane from Airbus next June.

With the new plane, currently in the final stage of assembly and
finishing at the Airbus headquarters here to be followed by internal fittings
and painting in Hamburg, Germany, the airline will also introduce a new
class of travel – the premium economy class.

Describing the plane as the "best MAS would have on its fleet", to Malaysian
journalists during a tour of the Airbus A380 factory here Wednesday, MAS
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Tengku Azmil Zahruddin said there
would be four classes of travel on the Kuala Lumpur-London route for which the
plane would be used, namely "beyond first class", business class, premium
economy and economy.

As it is an entirely new generation plane with very advanced set of
systems, there would be a lot of testing on both sides.

Malaysian pilots and engineers will come here to learn and get familiar with
the plane as well as for trouble shootings, he said.

MAS is also expected to take delivery of four additional A380 planes on a
staggered basis next year followed by one more in 2013.

Asked on the fundings for the planes, he said MAS would be looking at
various options including Islamic financing.

Meanwhile, the airline will take delivery of its fourth A330 plane
from the Airbus' delivery centre here today.

-- BERNAMA