Malaysia Airlines is in the process of refreshing its fleet, and this includes the airline recently announcing plans to acquire even more Boeing 737 MAXs, including the larger 737 MAX 10 variant. At the time, the airline revealed that it would install flat bed business class seats on these planes, and we now know what to expect… well, sort of. I wrote about this earlier, but there’s now an update, and this is the first time I’ve seen something like this.
In this post:
Malaysia Airlines’ new Boeing 737 MAX 10 business class
Malaysia Airlines has a firm order for at least 55 Boeing 737 MAXs. 43 of those are for the smaller 737 MAX 8 variant, while 12 of those are for the larger 737 MAX 10 variant. The 737 MAX 8s are already in service, and feature a pretty standard regional configuration, with recliner seats in business class.
However, we’ve known that the oneworld airline plans to introduce flat beds on its larger 737 MAX 10s, and we now know what those seats will look like. The airline has today unveiled its new 737 MAX 10 business class, and it looks great.
Details are fairly limited beyond the pictures that the airline has released, but it seems that the cabin will feature 12 seats, spread across six rows, in a 1-1 configuration.
Malaysia Airlines appears to have opted for reverse herringbone seats, which many people will prefer over the herringbone seats that we’re seeing on an increasing number of narrow body operators, like in JetBlue Mint. It remains to be seen if the front row suite will be a “business class plus” product, as we see on many airlines.
Here’s how Malaysia Airlines Group Managing Director Izham Ismail describes this development:
“With the introduction of lie-flat Business Class seats on our new Boeing 737-10 aircraft, we are redefining the travel experience for our guests. As we continue to elevate our offerings, we remain steadfast in our commitment to reimagining travel through the lens of Malaysian Hospitality, guided by our vision to be among the world’s leading airlines.”
Which business class seat did Malaysia Airlines select?
Okay, this is where it gets really strange. In all my years of covering airlines, I’ve never seen anything like this before.
Malaysia Airlines has stopped short of actually providing many details on the seat or its manufacturer. While airline seats can be customized a bit, it’s usually pretty easy to figure out a manufacturer based on some distinct seat attributes.
The picture that Malaysia Airlines provided is the narrow body version of the Adient Ascent seat. You can tell based on the position of the entertainment screen, plus the shelf to the side of the seat. For context, Qatar Airways was the launch customer for the wide body version of this product, on its Boeing 787-9s. However, as of now, no airlines have installed this product on narrow body aircraft.
But here’s where it gets strange. A representative from Adient Aerospace has reached out to me, telling me that they are “not involved in this program, and while that image is an image of our Ascent 737 seat, we did not complete those renderings and neither did any design firm we are associated with to our knowledge.” Wait, so what is actually going on here? As you can see, the photos are all Malaysia Airlines branded, yet the seat manufacturer says it’s not involved.
This isn’t the only reverse herringbone concept you’ll find on narrow body jets, though. There’s also the Safran VUE product, designed specifically for narrow body jets. FlyDubai was announced as the launch customer of this product in May 2023, but has still yet to actually install this on any aircraft.
There’s also the STELIA Aerospace OPERA seating platform, which also consists of reverse herringbone seats, with entertainment screens that can’t swivel. ITA Airways was the narrow body launch customer for this seat on its A321neos.
So, which seat is Malaysia Airlines installing? It’s anyone’s guess…
When will Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX 10 enter service?
Malaysia Airlines’ new business class product looks great, but when will it actually enter service? That’s a good question. While the airline is already actively taking delivery of 737 MAX 8s, the issue is that the 737 MAX 10 hasn’t even been certified yet.
The plane was supposed to be certified years ago, but as we all know, Boeing has been having some issues. So it’s anyone’s guess when that changes.
The good news — or bad news, depending on how you look at it — is that Malaysia Airlines only plans to start taking delivery of the 737 MAX 10 as of 2029. So hopefully the plane is actually certified by then, but having to wait another four years (best case scenario) sure requires some patience…
Bottom line
Malaysia Airlines has unveiled its newest business class product, which will be installed on Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft. The airline has opted for what looks like the narrow body version of the Adient Ascent seat, though Adient Aerospace tells me that it’s not involved in this project, so I don’t know what’s going on there.
These planes will only be delivered as of 2029, so we’ll have to wait at least four more years until the first of these is in service. The good news is that the product looks great, as it’s always nice to see reverse herringbone seats on a narrow body aircraft.
What do you make of Malaysia Airlines’ new 737 MAX business class?
that's Malaysia Boleh for you :-)
As far as Malaysia Airlines mysteries go, this one doesn’t really rank.
Thought I recognised those renderings;
https://news.flydubai.com/flydubai-launches-a-premium-business-class-experience-the-business-suite
With pretty much every major player in the region going for lie-flat beds and even suites on their narrow-body aircraft, It appears CX is the only major holdout; I hope they change course real soon!
I wonder what routes they plan to use them on.
I don’t think CX has any plans to fit its A321neos with lie-flats any time soon. Not every East Asian airline has lie-flats on narrowbodies, and those that do overwhelmingly have them on A321neos and not A320neos or 737 MAXes. SQ is the only East Asian airline so far to install lie-flats on 737 MAXes, and I’ll be shocked if MH pips it to the post like these renders show.
Speaking of which, Ben really...
I don’t think CX has any plans to fit its A321neos with lie-flats any time soon. Not every East Asian airline has lie-flats on narrowbodies, and those that do overwhelmingly have them on A321neos and not A320neos or 737 MAXes. SQ is the only East Asian airline so far to install lie-flats on 737 MAXes, and I’ll be shocked if MH pips it to the post like these renders show.
Speaking of which, Ben really needs to fly the SQ 737 MAX — it looks like the only Southeast Asian narrowbody which can combine the hard product of Korean Air, the soft product of Cathay Pacific and the overall well-roundness of Starlux!
(We’ll also need to wait for JAL, EVA and Thai to unveil their A321neos’ lie-flat products, but TG is very likely to be inferior to the other two.)
CXs order that was destined for Dragon is complete. Their upcoming deliveries are a separate order so it's still possible to change course and go with a different product, but I'm not holding my breath.
China, Korean, Starlux, Philippine Airlines all have lie-flats on their narrow-body a/c which CX competes with. JAL and ANA use their narrow-bodies for domestic routes and some routes that are like an hour or so away. And I expect EVA...
CXs order that was destined for Dragon is complete. Their upcoming deliveries are a separate order so it's still possible to change course and go with a different product, but I'm not holding my breath.
China, Korean, Starlux, Philippine Airlines all have lie-flats on their narrow-body a/c which CX competes with. JAL and ANA use their narrow-bodies for domestic routes and some routes that are like an hour or so away. And I expect EVA to have lie-flats on their neos as well.
The only carriers I can think of that have recliners are Vietnam, and the Chinese3.
Thai is going for the exact same seats as SQ for their A321neos. It was unveiled the same time Ben was in the air on his way back from Paris!
https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/thai-airways-a321neo-business-class-delivery
https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2025/04/09/thai-airways-selects-a321neo-lie-flat-business-class-product/
In addition to VN and all the PRC airlines, there’s also GA, which has completely failed to modernise its narrowbody fleet after cancelling all its outstanding 737 MAX orders. As such, you won’t find anything better than recliners on its 737s. Even worse is the fact that it no longer flies widebodies to SIN and now flies only 737s — whereas SIN was always its prestige route until a few months back and usually received...
In addition to VN and all the PRC airlines, there’s also GA, which has completely failed to modernise its narrowbody fleet after cancelling all its outstanding 737 MAX orders. As such, you won’t find anything better than recliners on its 737s. Even worse is the fact that it no longer flies widebodies to SIN and now flies only 737s — whereas SIN was always its prestige route until a few months back and usually received at least a few A330s or 777s per day.
It’s sad how Garuda has completely lost the plot when compared to its peers in ASEAN and the broader East Asia — indeed, all Indonesian airlines seem to be struggling in this regard — as far as fleet and product renewal are concerned. GA has no business being a Skytrax 5-star airline; TG and MH have marched far ahead.
I forgot about Garuda, but they seem to use their 737s mostly on domestic hops with some Bangkok, Singapore, and Guangzhou thrown in the mix. So I guess recliners are perfectly fine.
CX uses them all over the region going as far as Seoul and Singapore later this year. You would like to think they would have a competitive narrow-body product when competing with the aforementioned players I've mentioned.
Don't forget TG, they once sent european business to SG.
ZH got a few a321neos with parallel diamonds(A321T J) while MU got 10 premium 737-800s that have 160-degree angled flat seats. Meanwhile CSN is looking to further reduce seat pitch.
JAL A21Ns are for now supposed to replace the airline's domestic B763s, not B738s (some of which will be replaced by B38Ms instead).
Sorry MH, I have two observations which will keep me out of your new J seat.
No 1: There is too much ’obstruction’ between the seat and the window. Comfortable ’wing-watching’, etc, looks to be impossible.
No 2: As it’s a Boeing (Max) I ain’t going.
A shocked and devastated MH just issued a communique with abject apologies to @AeroB13a. Further, MH has sacked their product development manager for this outrageous insult to @AeroB13a's dignity and sensitivity.
#StandWithAeroB13a #FlyingBusinessClassIsHard #EgoIsEverything
Thank you John, for passing on the sad news that MH are “Shocked and devastated” by my missive. I was only trying to help …. ‘onest John.
Would you please do all within your power to have the product development manager reinstated, upon completion of his business class cabin seat familiarisation training, of course …. :-)
It’s the Adient Aerospace Ascent Narrowbody
Did you read the article?
Ben corrected himself ;)