Malaysia Airlines (MH, Kuala Lumpur International) has denied a report by Reuters saying it mulls scrapping a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Boeing for eight B787-9s in favour of a new order for 20-30 widebody jets from either Boeing or Airbus, the New Strait Times has reported.

"Malaysia Airlines wishes to make clear that the story is speculative and erroneous. There is currently no such tender process as alleged and the MoU with Boeing as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak remains in place," the carrier has said.

The MoU was announced in 2017 during a US visit of Prime Minister Razak in the White House. It came as a surprise to many in the industry given Malaysia Airlines' all-Airbus widebody fleet. The CEO of the carrier at that time was Peter Bellew, who has since returned to Ryanair. His successor, Izham Ismail, told the Malaysian media in March that the carrier has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for new generation wide-body jets, without going into any details as to the type, manufacturer or the size of the potential order.

Reuters has reported earlier, citing an unnamed inside source, that the new RFP, while not disqualifying Boeing, also refers to A330neo or A350 aircraft as options for the carrier.

Meanwhile, the carrier has taken delivery of its first A330-200 aircraft. 9M-MTV (msn 822), an ex-Air Berlin (1991) unit, was ferried from Zurich to Kuala Lumpur International on March 23 and was subsequently deployed into revenue service on April 6. The aircraft is the first of a total of six ex-Air Berlin A330-200s acquired by Malaysia Airlines. All of them are managed by AerCap with five also owned by the lessor and one owned by Whitney Leasing, ch-aviation fleet module shows.

The carrier's widebody fleet also includes fifteen A330-300s, four A350-900s, and six A380-800s, with the last type poised to be transferred to a Hajj-focused charter subsidiary by year-end. The group also operates three A330-200Fs. The narrowbody fleet of the Malaysian flag carrier includes fifty B737-800s, with a further ten ATR 72-500s and six DHC-6-400s operated by its regional subsidiary MASwings.