Malaysia Airlines A380 enters service

A380_MAS_special_livery_01-1 copy — A picture of Malaysia Airlines' first A380 at Toulouse after having its special livery applied. (Airbus)

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has operated its first revenue service with its newly delivered Airbus A380, flying from Kuala Lumpur to London on July 1.

“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,” said MAS CEO Ahmad Jauhari. “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 like inflight but also other aspects such as our airport lounges and all other stages of the passenger’s journey with us.”

The first A380 features a special livery that was applied in Toulouse and seats 494 passengers in a three-class layout. This is comprised of eight first-class seats on the main deck, 66 business class seats on the upper deck and 420 economy seats on the main deck.

The airline will take delivery four A380s by the end of 2012, with a further two to be delivered in 2013, rounding out its order for six aircraft.

With the arrival of its second A380 in August, the airline will be able to serve London daily with the aircraft, and in November will add the A380 on its Sydney services. It has also flagged its intention to fly the aircraft to Tokyo-Narita and Beijing.