Malaysia Airlines shortlists six companies to finance 22 new aircraft

Malaysia Airlines stated it has shortlisted six companies to finance 22 new aircraft, to be delivered between Oct-2010 to 2012 (Malaysia Business Times, 02-Aug-2010). The aircraft include 14 B737-800 and eight A330-300s. The A330s are to be delivered from Apr-2010. Managing Director and CEO, Azmil Zahruddin, attributed the strong interest in the contract to the carrier's strong balance sheet and cash balance. It plans to firm up financiers for its first B737-800 by the end of the month. MAS is looking at a mix of financing options for the aircraft.

Malaysia Airlines: "We issued the request for proposals (RFPs) and received an overwhelming response of 60 (proposals). We are very pleased with the response, especially when you think about what the market was like last year and the year before," Azmil Zahruddin, Managing Director and CEO. Source: Malaysia Business Times, 02-Aug-2010.