Malaysia Airlines expects to take delivery of its first A380 airplane from Airbus next June.

With the new plane, currently in the final stage of assembly and finishing at the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France to be followed by internal fittings and painting in Hamburg, Germany, the airline will also introduce a new class of travel - the premium economy class.

Describing the plane as the “best MAS would have on its fleet”, to Malaysian journalists during a tour of the Airbus A380 factory in Toulouse yesterday, MAS managing director and chief executive officer Tengku Azmil Zahruddin said there would be four classes of travel on the Kuala Lumpur-London route for which the plane would be used, namely “beyond first class”, business class, premium economy and economy.

As it is an entirely new generation plane with very advanced set of systems, there would be a lot of testing on both sides.

Malaysian pilots and engineers will come to Toulouse to learn and get familiar with the plane as well as for trouble-shootings, he said.

MAS is also expected to take delivery of four additional A380 planes on a staggered basis next year followed by one more in 2013.

Asked on the fundings for the planes, he said MAS would be looking at various options including Islamic financing.

Meanwhile, the airline will take delivery of its fourth A330 plane from the Airbus’ delivery centre in Toulouse today.

- Bernama