MASkargo takes first delivery of four Airbus A330-200F freighters and receives the Integrated Management System certification

  • The mid size fuel efficient airplane allows MASkargo to build capacity and expand its network to new markets with improved reliability and cost efficiency
  • The airplanes purchased directly by MASkargo will strengthen its balance sheet and benefit from investment and capital allowances
  • The A330 freighter operations will reduce the carbon footprint
  • Integrated Management Certification testimony to MASkargo’s commitment improve its efficiency

KLIA, September 19th, 2011 – MASkargo, the air cargo subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, took the first delivery of the A330-200F freighters on September 15th, 2011 at the Airbus assembly point in Toulouse. The remaining three airplanes are scheduled to be delivered in November 2011, January 2012 and April 2012.

The celebration of the arrival of the first Airbus mid size freighter in KLIA was witnessed by YB Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri, Deputy Transport Minister accompanied by Shahari Sulaiman, Managing Director MASkargo.

The mid size A330-200F is the world’s most modern mid-size freighters and will be powered by the upgraded Pratt Whitney PW4170 engine with a maximum payload of 70 tonnes and range of 4,000 nm range.

The first flight departed Toulouse to Amsterdam on the 15th September, to pick up 57 tons of cargo onward to Kuala Lumpur. The A330 freighters is forecasted to increase the freighter capacity in 2012 by about 25 percent with schedule flights into Narita, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Amsterdam, Sharjah and Penang. New freighter destinations scheduled for the A330 freighters are Osaka, Taipei, and Karagandy. The Osaka flights will commence on 29th October, 2011. Other new routes will include Kuala Lumpur to Europe via Shanghai and Karaganda, in Kazakhstan, with the first flight scheduled on 2nd October, 2011. Taipei flights will commence in November of this year.

During the ceremony, Shahari Sulaiman, the Managing Director of MASkargo said: “This is a historic day for MASkargo as the commencement of the A330 freighters operations denotes a critical milestone in how we have changed our business model. The introduction of this mid size fuel efficient airplanes allows us to grow our business in an efficient and cost effective manner. Furthermore, it is the first time MASkargo is purchasing the airplanes directly allowing these assets to be in the company’s balance sheet”.

Shahari elaborates: “The four A330 freighters will complement the two 747-400F freighters in the existing fleet. The combination of these two aircraft types will allow MASkargo to grow its network by better managing capacity to demand. The advantage of the A330 freighters allows us to develop new trade lanes between Asia, Europe and Australia which may not be viable using a bigger capacity aircraft.”

“The airline industry experienced about 35 percent increase in fuel price over the last year necessitating MASkargo to cut capacity on our 747-200F leased freighter network due to the high cost of operation, mainly as a result of the high fuel burn rate. The A330 freighters provide us the opportunity to grow our capacity as we are able to serve more markets with greater frequency while significantly reducing our operating cost and maximising profit potential through growth even in the current challenging business environment.”

“With the phasing out of the leased 747-200F classic freighters, by the end of this year, MASkargo will have one of the youngest freighter fleet in the world and will be able to improve our on-time performance. The upgrade to more efficient aircraft is in line with the company’s commitment to consistently serve our global customers better with improved service reliability, expanded capacity and wider network serving major trade routes. . This strategy also supports our effort to be more environmentally responsible as our carbon footprint will be significantly reduced in 2012."

Another milestone was for MASkargo to receive the Integrated Management System Integration certification from SIRIM. Shahari received the certificates from Dr Zainal Abidin Mohd Yusop, Deputy President and Chief Executive of SIRIM Berhad. Shahari commented: “I am proud to receive the IMS certification on behalf of all the MASkargo staff. The IMS certification is part of our ongoing initiatives to continuously look at ways to improve our efficiency and quality of service to serve our customers better.”