Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of Malaysia Airlines, is in discussions with Boeing about acquiring new aircraft that may become available if Chinese airlines halt their jet deliveries. This comes as Boeing appears to be returning some of its 737 MAX jets from China, where they had been waiting for delivery.
While neither Boeing nor Chinese authorities have commented on why the jets are being returned, it is unclear who made the decision. Malaysia Airlines has not yet responded to a request for comment from Reuters.
According to Izham Ismail, the managing director of MAG, the airline sees this as an opportunity to secure earlier deliveries. “MAG is in conversation with Boeing about whether we can take over those slots,” he told Bernama, referring to the delivery slots that may open up due to the ongoing tariff conflict between the U.S. and China.
The aviation industry is facing a global shortage of available aircraft due to supply chain disruptions from the pandemic, a slowdown in production at Boeing, and regulatory challenges. This has resulted in longer-than-usual delivery times.
MAG, which is owned by the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional, is steadily expanding and modernizing its fleet. The company aims to operate a fleet of 55 new-generation 737 MAX aircraft by 2030. Recently, MAG announced plans to purchase 18 737 MAX 8 and 12 737 MAX 10 aircraft, with an option to buy an additional 30 jets. Additionally, it has a lease agreement for 25 737 MAX jets from Air Lease Corp, which will be delivered between 2023 and 2026.
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