SEPANG: FORMER prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was among some 400 privileged guests to experience a ride on the brand new Malaysia Airlines A380 aircraft yesterday.
Dr Mahathir later told reporters that the 21/2-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Langkawi and back had been a very comfortable trip, commending the design of the aircraft.
"I am used to the first class facilities on board the B747-400 aircraft but the facilities of the new A380 are more impressive. Travellers can enjoy a very relaxing and comfortable flight especially on long haul trips.
"Although the A380 is bigger than the B747-400, it is more economical and also environment- friendly. With this new aircraft, MAS can definitely remain competitive as their inflight cabin service is renowned worldwide."
The A380-800 aircraft landed at KLIA last Wednesday for training and engineering familiarisation. It is also the first aircraft in the MAS fleet to be showcased in a new livery of light blue instead of red and blue stripes.
Besides Dr Mahathir, the other guests onboard yesterday's flight included MAS staff, members of the media and selected guests. Seven bloggers were also invited for the joyride.
MAS is the 8th airline carrier in the world to operate the A380 and the new aircraft is expected to replace the ageing B747-400 fleet. In 2003, a deal was inked with Airbus for the purchase of six A380-800 aircraft.
MAS senior vice-president of commercial marketing and production Al-Ishsal Ishak said the A380 marked a new beginning for the carrier to deliver the best service across three classes, namely first, business and economy.
"It is a very exciting time for us as we used the social networking websites to connect with Malaysians. A competition called the Big Flight was organised online where 20 video clips were shortlisted from 350 entries and the public was asked to vote for their favourites.
"Participants were required to submit their most creative video clip on why they were unique and deserving of a ride on the new A380 aircraft. Eight winners were chosen to share this occasion with three friends."
The A380 will return to Toulouse, France for touch-ups and adjustments before returning to KLIA on June 30. The aircraft will be used for thrice-weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to London to Kuala Lumpur with the inaugural flight on July 1.
The A380 can seat 494 passengers with eight in first class, 66 in business and the rest economy. It has a personnel complement of four captains and 21 cabin crew.
The five remaining A380s are expected to be delivered between July this year and March next year. Future destinations offered by MAS with the new aircraft include daily flights to London, Sydney, Tokyo and Beijing.
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