MAS buying 36 ATR turboprop aircraft worth RM3bil for Firefly and MASwings

From left: Bagnato, ATR senior vice-president (commercial) Jacques Desbarats, Mohd Nawawi, Ong, Ahmad Jauhari, and ATR general manager (sales Asean & Pacific) Christophe Potocki

SUBANG: Just over a week after AirAsia Bhd placed a 100-plane order worth US$9.4bil (RM28.67bil), Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has inked an agreement to buy 36 ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft for RM3bil (US$981mil), as it expands its fleet to grow aggressively in the country and regionally.

MAS is buying the aircraft for its community airlines, Firefly and MASwings. Firefly will take 20 of the planes and MASwings the balance 16, replacing a large part of its ageing fleet.