KUALA LUMPUR (April 8): Malaysia Airlines Bhd and European plane-maker Airbus have signed an extension of their flight hour services components (FHS-C) contract for the national carrier's A330 and A350 fleets as an outcome of Malaysia Airlines' recently completed restructuring exercise.

In a statement, Airbus said the multi-year extension covers technical support by the company for the airline’s existing widebody fleet of A350s, A330s as well as A330-200 freighters operated by Malaysia Airlines' air cargo arm MAB Kargo Sdn Bhd.

The agreement was signed here today between Malaysia Airlines chief operations officer Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi and Airbus president for Asia-Pacific Anand Stanley.  

FHS-C provides component services, including spare pool access, on-site-stock at the main base, as well as components engineering and repairs. Through FHS-C, Airbus guarantees parts availability and secures aircraft technical performance.

“We are pleased to extend our partnership with Airbus and trust the brand to provide the vital technical support for our widebody fleet. As we move forward as an airline and share our Malaysian hospitality worldwide, the Airbus aircraft we fly will become a symbol of reliability and consistency,” said Ahmad Luqman.

Yesterday, Anand told a media briefing that Airbus is working with its cash-strapped airline customers across the world, including Malaysia, to find solutions as they struggle to stay afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are pleased to continue our close relationship with Malaysia Airlines with the extension of this FHS agreement. Especially in these challenging times, Airbus strives to provide value-added and tailor-made solutions to our airline partners to help them ensure increased operational reliability,” said Anand.