MAS Plans to Fly Airbus A380 to Tokyo

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airlines (MAS) plans to fly the superjumbo Airbus A380 to Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Beijing after its maiden A380 flight to London. The airline's second destination for the A380 will be Sydney, Australia, towards the end of November, MAS said in a statement on Monday. The airline has ordered six A380 aircraft, four of which will be delivered by the end of 2012 and the balance in 2013. MAS set another historic Malaysian record Sunday with the launch of its Airbus A380 scheduled service between Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and London Heathrow Airport. The full flight took off for London exactly 38 years after its maiden flight operations between the two cities on July 1, 1974. The national carrier also notched several significant firsts with the A380 operations, among others, being the only airline to introduce its A380 in an exclusive new livery and also having the widest first class seats among the operators of this aircraft. "This is a proud moment for the entire nation and we at Malaysia Airlines are glad to be part of this historic moment, which positions Malaysia in the league of the A380 operators. "Such an advancement is our contribution towards the efforts by all to steer Malaysia towards the developed nation status by 2020. This is also in line with the government’s desire to increase capacity for heightened tourist arrivals into the country," MAS Group chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in the statement. "At the corporate level, the introduction of our A380 into service will see a continuation of our refreshed brand campaign which commenced in March 2012. "The objective will be to position ourselves as a preferred premium carrier, so that the market chooses us over others when we gradually roll out our total revamped product, which not only includes areas such as inflight but also other aspects including airport lounges and all the other stages of the passenger’s journey with us," he added. -- BERNAMA