Malaysian Air in talks to offload A380s to Chinese operators

Malaysia Airlines is in talks with carriers in China and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries about offloading its six Airbus Group A380 jets because the giant double-deckers are no longer needed in the fleet, according to CEO Peter Bellew. The company is also negotiating with Airbus to add 90 more seats to each of the 494-berth superjumbos to make them more attractive to second-hand users while retaining the ability to operate the aircraft in a two or three class configuration, Bellew, who took over on July 1, said in an interview Friday. Malaysian Air stands to become the first A380 customer to cease flying the model, which first entered service with Singapore Airlines in 2007. While that might be bad news for a plane that’s already struggling for sales, establishing a used superjumbo market would soften the blow for Airbus, especially should the jet secure a new Chinese operator. Malaysian Air no longer wants the A380 as it focuses more on Asian flights and prepares to take delivery of six smaller Airbus A350s, which will replace the giant aircraft on routes such as Kuala Lumpur-London. If direct buyers aren’t found it’s prepared to offer the jets for lease with access to its A380 simulator, or complete with pilots and cabin crew, Bellew said, adding that there are a number of airlines in the region “keen to dip their toe in the water.”<br/>