Though the country’s flag carrier no longer boasts the extensive long-haul network it once did, a handful of their current routes are all still fairly lengthy!

Situated in the heart of Southeast Asia, Malaysia relies on long-haul air routes for its global connectivity, with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) playing a pivotal role. The airline’s widebody fleet links Kuala Lumpur to key destinations worldwide. According to Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, Malaysia Airlines scheduled nearly 10,000 flights in December 2024.

These days, there aren’t that many seriously long-haul routes offered by MAS, but it wasn’t always this way. Around 12–15 years ago, MAS had an extensive global network, reaching several distant destinations as part of its long-haul operations. Some of its farthest-flung destinations during that period included:

1. New York City (JFK) – MAS operated flights to the United States, including New York, typically via European stopovers such as Stockholm.
2. Los Angeles (LAX) – Transpacific flights from Kuala Lumpur to Los Angeles were a staple of MAS’s long-haul offerings.
3. Cape Town (CPT) – Often paired with Johannesburg, MAS connected Kuala Lumpur to South Africa.
4. Buenos Aires (EZE) – Malaysia Airlines flew to Argentina via Cape Town or Johannesburg, certainly making the route to South America one of the airline’s most ambitious.
5. Frankfurt (FRA) – A key European destination for MAS, connecting travellers to Germany and beyond.
6. Zurich (ZRH) – Another major European hub that MAS served for years.
7. Stockholm (ARN) – This Scandinavian city was part of MAS’s transatlantic routes to the United States.
8. Amsterdam (AMS) – A long-time hub in Europe for MAS before network rationalisation.

These routes showcased Malaysia Airlines’ aspirations to be a truly global carrier before subsequent challenges, including but not at all limited to the loss of MH370 and MH17 in 2014, led to a substantial reduction in its long-haul operations. Many of these destinations were served by the Boeing 747-400, the airline’s flagship at the time, and later by the Airbus A380 on certain high-demand routes, like London and Paris.

So as of December 2024, what’s the story? Only four routes are over the 4,000-mile mark, which is a little over 6,400 km, and if using 6,000 km as the threshold for long-haul, a fifth route qualifies, too. According to Simple Flying, as we flip the calendar from 2024 to 2025, these are the longest routes operated by Malaysia Airlines.

LONDON HEATHROW TAKES THE TOP SPOT

London Heathrow (LHR) stands as the longest route served by Malaysia Airlines from its Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) hub. Covering 10,610 km (6,593 miles), it surpasses the airline’s next longest route by over 1,600 km, or 1,000 miles.

Malaysia Airlines is the only carrier currently operating this route, offering two daily flights, equating to 62 round trips in December. These flights provide 17,732 seats in each direction, which is consistent with figures from December 2022 and 2023.

The Airbus A350-900 exclusively serves this route. Malaysia Airlines’ fleet of seven A350s, averaging 6.6 years old, features the following configuration:

• Four Business Suites in a 1-2-1 layout.
• 35 business class flatbeds in a staggered 1-2-1/1-2-2 layout.
• 247 economy class seats in a 3-3-3 arrangement.

Flights to London depart Kuala Lumpur at 09:25 (MH4) and 23:30 (MH2), with scheduled block times of just over 14 hours. Arrivals are timed for 15:25 and 05:35 the following day. Return flights from London (MH3 and MH1) depart at 10:25 and 21:15, arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 07:15 and 18:20 the next day.

AUCKLAND SECURES SECOND PLACE

Auckland (AKL), New Zealand’s largest airport, is Malaysia Airlines’ second-longest route this December. Spanning 8,703 km (5,408 miles), it is around 1,000 miles shorter than the London route.

MAS also operates this city pair route exclusively, with 36 outbound and 35 inbound flights scheduled for the month. Unlike the London route, the airline deploys the older Airbus A330-300 for these flights. The airline’s 15 A330-300s, averaging 12.6 years of age, are configured as follows:

• 27 business class seats.
• 263 economy class seats.

Kuala Lumpur departures are scheduled at 08:30 (MH133) and 20:45 (MH145). The flights, lasting just under 10.5 hours, arrive in Auckland at 23:55 and 12:05 the next day. Return flights leave Auckland at 01:40 (MH132) and 13:50 (MH144), with both taking 11 hours and 10 minutes to arrive in Kuala Lumpur.

JEDDAH VIA SENAI: A UNIQUE ROUTE

The third-longest route is quite an outlier, as it originates from Senai International Airport (JHB) in Johor, rather than MAS’ primary hub at KUL. This route to Jeddah International Airport (JED) in Saudi Arabia spans 7,320 km (4,548 miles) and forms part of a multi-stop itinerary involving Medina (MED).

For December, the schedule included five rotations, primarily operated by the Airbus A330-200. Malaysia Airlines’ six A330-200s are configured with 19 business class and 268 economy seats. The fifth rotation is flown by the larger A330-300.

SYDNEY: MALAYSIA AIRLINES FACES COMPETITION

Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) is the most distant route where MAS faces competition. This 6,580-km (4,088-mile) route sees 61 MAS flights in each direction in December, compared to 41 round trips by AirAsia X.

Most MAS flights on this route are served by the Airbus A330-300, which accounts for 59 of the 61 round trips, offering 17,110 seats in each direction. The remaining flights are operated by the three-class Airbus A350-900, providing 572 seats per rotation.

MELBOURNE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Melbourne (MEL) is another key route for MAS, covering 6,304 km (3,917 miles). The airline scheduled 66 flights each way in December, ahead of competitors AirAsia X and Batik Air Malaysia.

This month marked the inaugural deployment of MAS’ Airbus A330-900neo on this route. This next-generation aircraft features:

• 28 business class flatbeds in a 1-2-1 layout.
• 269 economy seats in a 2-4-2 layout.

The A330-300 and A330-200 also serve this route, handling most rotations alongside the A350-900.