MAS in talks for Hajj charter flights using A380s

Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIA Airlines Bhd (MAS) is in talks with potential investors for new charter flights to carry Muslim travellers on the annual Hajj pilgrimage, a service planned to give a new lease of life to surplus A380 superjumbos at the unprofitable carrier.

The carrier will apply for a licence with Malaysian authorities this quarter and expects the service - a separate venture from the main airline - to be fully operational in about a year, chief executive officer Peter Bellew said in an interview on July 24. MAS has held talks with parties in Asia and the Middle East involved in the tourism and aviation industries, he said.