Malaysia Airlines’ 737 MAX Flat Bed Business Class Suites: A Mystery
Malaysia Airlines is in the process of refreshing its fleet, and this includes the airline recently announcing plans to acquire even more Boeing 737 MAXs, including the larger 737 MAX 10 variant. At the time, the airline revealed that it would install flat bed business class seats on these planes, and we now know what to expect… well, sort of. I wrote about this earlier, but there’s now an update, and this is the first time I’ve seen something like this.
Malaysia Airlines is in the process of refreshing its fleet, and this includes the airline recently announcing plans to acquire even more Boeing 737 MAXs, including the larger 737 MAX 10 variant. At the time, the airline revealed that it would install flat bed business class seats on these planes, and we now know what to expect… well, sort of. I wrote about this earlier, but there’s now an update, and this is the first time I’ve seen something like this.
Malaysia Airlines’ new Boeing 737 MAX 10 business class
Malaysia Airlines has a firm order for at least 55 Boeing 737 MAXs. 43 of those are for the smaller 737 MAX 8 variant, while 12 of those are for the larger 737 MAX 10 variant. The 737 MAX 8s are already in service, and feature a pretty standard regional configuration, with recliner seats in business class.
However, we’ve known that the oneworld airline plans to introduce flat beds on its larger 737 MAX 10s, and we now know what those seats will look like. The airline has today unveiled its new 737 MAX 10 business class, and it looks great.
Details are fairly limited beyond the pictures that the airline has released, but it seems that the cabin will feature 12 seats, spread across six rows, in a 1-1 configuration.
Malaysia Airlines appears to have opted for reverse herringbone seats, which many people will prefer over the herringbone seats that we’re seeing on an increasing number of narrow body operators, like in JetBlue Mint. It remains to be seen if the front row suite will be a “business class plus” product, as we see on many airlines.
Here’s how Malaysia Airlines Group Managing Director Izham Ismail describes this development:
“With the introduction of lie-flat Business Class seats on our new Boeing 737-10 aircraft, we are redefining the travel experience for our guests. As we continue to elevate our offerings, we remain steadfast in our commitment to reimagining travel through the lens of Malaysian Hospitality, guided by our vision to be among the world’s leading airlines.”
Which business class seat did Malaysia Airlines select?
Okay, this is where it gets really strange. In all my years of covering airlines, I’ve never seen anything like this before.
Malaysia Airlines has stopped short of actually providing many details on the seat or its manufacturer. While airline seats can be customized a bit, it’s usually pretty easy to figure out a manufacturer based on some distinct seat attributes.
The picture that Malaysia Airlines provided is the narrow body version of the Adient Ascent seat. You can tell based on the position of the entertainment screen, plus the shelf to the side of the seat. For context, Qatar Airways was the launch customer for the wide body version of this product, on its Boeing 787-9s. However, as of now, no airlines have installed this product on narrow body aircraft.
But here’s where it gets strange. A representative from Adient Aerospace has reached out to me, telling me that they are “not involved in this program, and while that image is an image of our Ascent 737 seat, we did not complete those renderings and neither did any design firm we are associated with to our knowledge.” Wait, so what is actually going on here? As you can see, the photos are all Malaysia Airlines branded, yet the seat manufacturer says it’s not involved.
This isn’t the only reverse herringbone concept you’ll find on narrow body jets, though. There’s also the Safran VUE product, designed specifically for narrow body jets. FlyDubai was announced as the launch customer of this product in May 2023, but has still yet to actually install this on any aircraft.
There’s also the STELIA Aerospace OPERA seating platform, which also consists of reverse herringbone seats, with entertainment screens that can’t swivel. ITA Airways was the narrow body launch customer for this seat on its A321neos.
So, which seat is Malaysia Airlines installing? It’s anyone’s guess…
When will Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX 10 enter service?
Malaysia Airlines’ new business class product looks great, but when will it actually enter service? That’s a good question. While the airline is already actively taking delivery of 737 MAX 8s, the issue is that the 737 MAX 10 hasn’t even been certified yet.
The plane was supposed to be certified years ago, but as we all know, Boeing has been having some issues. So it’s anyone’s guess when that changes.
The good news — or bad news, depending on how you look at it — is that Malaysia Airlines only plans to start taking delivery of the 737 MAX 10 as of 2029. So hopefully the plane is actually certified by then, but having to wait another four years (best case scenario) sure requires some patience…
Bottom line
Malaysia Airlines has unveiled its newest business class product, which will be installed on Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft. The airline has opted for what looks like the narrow body version of the Adient Ascent seat, though Adient Aerospace tells me that it’s not involved in this project, so I don’t know what’s going on there.
These planes will only be delivered as of 2029, so we’ll have to wait at least four more years until the first of these is in service. The good news is that the product looks great, as it’s always nice to see reverse herringbone seats on a narrow body aircraft.
What do you make of Malaysia Airlines’ new 737 MAX business class?
