Manchester United and Malaysia Airlines have announced a multi-year partnership which will see the airline become the club’s official commercial airline.
This collaboration aims to bring Malaysia Airlines’ renowned Malaysian Hospitality to Manchester United’s extensive community of over 1.1 billion fans worldwide through joint marketing efforts.
To celebrate the announcement, former Manchester United defenders Patrice Evra and Wes Brown flew to Kuala Lumpur, and shared their experiences of travelling the world as both players and ambassadors for the club.
“Manchester United has fans from all over the world, and the passionate support we have here in Asia never fails to impress me. Wes and I travelled here on Malaysia Airlines, and I would like to thank them for such a comfortable journey. From the food to the comfortable seats and friendly service, everything was perfect,” said Patrice Evra.
“I am fortunate enough to represent Manchester United at events all over the world. I have visited Malaysia many times, and I am always blown away by the warm welcome I receive. Malaysia Airlines is a true representation of Malaysia’s friendly culture, and I cannot wait to work with them to engage with our fantastic supporters,” said Wes Brown.
Manchester United’s CEO of Alliances and Partnerships, Victoria Timpson, said: “We have three official Malaysian supporter’s clubs, with the Kuala Lumpur branch boasting one of the club’s largest supporter communities, reflecting the country’s love of all things United.”
To celebrate its partnership with Manchester United, Malaysia Airlines has organised a contest where the winner will receive two business-class flights to a destination of their choice, a two-night stay in Manchester, personalised Manchester United shirts, two exclusive passes to watch a Manchester United first-team training session and two hospitality tickets for a United match at Old Trafford! The contest is open to individuals worldwide over 18 years of age. You can sign up for the competition here.
Malaysia Airlines also made two other announcements. The airline will commence flights to three new destinations: Malé, Maldives, Da Nang, Vietnam and Chiang Mai, Thailand in August-September 2024. Malaysia Airlines revealed its new A330neo Business Class and Economy Class seats as part of its fleet modernisation plan, ahead of the scheduled delivery in Q3 2024. The Business Class seats feature individual privacy doors and wireless charging pods whilst the Economy Class seats offer ergonomic design and enhanced support, with thoughtful amenities for added comfort and practicality.
Group Managing Director of Malaysia Aviation Group, Captain Izham Ismail, said: “Aligning with a globally recognised club like United places Malaysia Airlines in front of a massive worldwide audience, significantly boosting brand recognition, especially in Europe and Southeast Asia where United has a large fanbase. We look forward to the exciting opportunities this collaboration brings and the joy it will bring to football enthusiasts worldwide.
Malaysia Airlines has undergone a chequered journey over the last decade, however through it all, our resilience has remained steadfast. Having stabilised our balance sheet and recording our strongest-ever financial year performance since the past decade, we are now in a stronger position to steer our focus towards accelerating investments into our product and service delivery to elevate the customer experience”.
As a member of the oneworld alliance, Malaysia Airlines offers connectivity to over 900 destinations in 170 territories worldwide.
