Malaysia's second low-cost carrier and potential competitor to AirAsia is now fully licensed and ready to go. Last week, MYAirline received its Air Service Licence from the Malaysian Aviation Commission, clearing the way for it to start selling tickets in anticipation of a December launch.

MyAirline had previously received a conditional Air Service Licence (ASL), which was due to expire at the end of this year. It now has a full one-year ASL which sits alongside its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, gained in September. The final step is to apply for domestic air traffic rights, and once approved, the airline can start flying within Malaysia.

CEO Rayner Teo found out about the ASL while onboard one of the airline's three Airbus A320s and posted a video on LinkedIn telling the other staff on the aircraft:

"We are now officially no longer an airline that owns a few planes. We are now officially a fully-fledged airline."

The A320 is the aircraft of choice

MYAirline is focused on domestic flights up to four hours using the Airbus A320 narrowbodies from a base at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL). Data from ch-aviation.com shows it has three A320s with another on its way. The first three include two formerly operated by Thai AirAsia, 9M-DAB and 9M-DAG, with the third, 9M-DAC, coming from Frontier Airlines. All have 180 seats, and their average age is 12.9 years. The data shows 9M-DAC has 30 seats in comfort class and 150 in economy, although that may have changed.

Speaking to the New Straits Times, Teo said the airline's fourth aircraft was being painted, and MYAirline is targeting 50 aircraft within the next five years. He added:

"We're an LCC, and one of the fundamentals of an LCC is to keep a single-family type (of aircraft) and also keeping to a narrowbody fleet. We've opted for the Airbus family of the A320 narrowbody aircraft and we felt that that was the best aircraft for us."

MYAirline's aircraft carry a strong dose of red on the fuselage, which may seem an odd choice given the red livery of its rival AirAsia. Teo said the team had gone through many colors, but red was the most eye-catching to them. His logic was that just because another airline uses red is no reason not to use it, and besides, "every other color was pretty boring to us."

Penang might be the first stop

MYAirline's route network is not yet available, but Teo said he hopes to start flying by the end of the year. He told the New Straits Times that he was looking at destinations within the Peninsula, with a hint that the island of Penang may be on the radar for a first destination. Flightradar24.com data shows several flights between KUL and Penang recently, suggesting that it might be the first route.

The new LCC has recruited more than 300 staff, including close to 50 pilots and with the aircraft in place and certifications approved, the network announcements will follow soon. Hopefully, Malaysians can experience what MYAirline offers over the holiday season.

How do you think MYAirline will go, and will AirAsia make its life difficult?

Source: New Straits Times