AirAsia (AK, Kuala Lumpur International) has leased three A320-200s formerly placed at the now insolvent MYAirline (MYM, Kuala Lumpur Subang). Bo Lingam, chief executive of AirAsia Aviation Group, confirmed the transfer earlier this week while speaking to Malaysia's New Strait Times. AirAsia had formerly expressed interest in picking up any returning aircraft from MYAirline.
AirAsia signed the deal to take the aircraft about a week ago and has paid the necessary deposits, Lingam said, adding that the lessor is Aircastle. ch-aviation research has identified the A320s as 9M-DAB (msn 4126), 9M-DAF (msn 4070), and 9M-DAG (msn 4088). Presently, all three are stored at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
ch-aviation has contacted AirAsia for delivery timeline details.
When MYAirline ceased operations in mid-October, it had nine A320-200s in Kuala Lumpur. Of that number, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia has since received deregistration requests for several aircraft, namely:
- 9M-DAC (msn 5661) leased from Aviation Capital Group, now re-registered as VP-CBF and ferried to Woensdrecht last week;
- 9M-DAD (msn 4098) leased from Genesis Aircraft Services, now re-registered as VP-CAQ and ferried to Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta earlier this month;
- 9M-DAJ (msn 2968) leased from Avolon, now re-registered as VP-CBJ and also ferried to Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport; and
- 9M-DAL (msn 4013), also leased from Avolon, now re-registered as VP-CBK and also at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
The remaining MYAirline aircraft are the three A320-200s now going to AirAsia, plus the Carlyle Aviation Partners owned and managed 9M-DAE (msn 3064) and the SMBC Aviation Capital supplied 9M-DAN (msn 3349). 9M-DAB and 9M-DAG were due to go back to Aircastle at the end of this year on the expiration of their leases. MYAirline says the aircraft still nominally placed with them are under the supervision of lessors with assistance from the carrier's Continuing Air Worthiness Management Organisation. A MYAirline spokesperson told ch-aviation that "advanced talks" with potential white knight investors continue, and the airline hopes to announce the next stage shortly.
