New Airline To Launch In Malaysia By End Of 2025

Malaysia will soon see the arrival of a brand new airline called Ascend Airways Malaysia Sdn Bhd. This start-up airline will begin operations with two B737-800s and four B737 MAX 8s by the end of 2025.

Ascend Airways will focus on providing aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) services for the air transportation of cargo and passengers.

Ascend Airways Malaysia is being backed by the UK-based Ascend Airways, which is part of the Avia Solutions Group (ASG). Avia is one of the world’s premier ACMI providers based in Dublin, Ireland.

ASG is known to have a fleet of over 200 aircraft and 16 businesses. These include cargo aviation, ground handling, fuelling and transport, aircraft leasing and trading, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) for aircraft and helicopters. There is also a digital media outlet – AeroTime.

Ascend Airways received conditional approval for an Air Service Permit (ASP) from the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) in November 2024.

The ASP is a requirement for air transport providers to offer unscheduled air services, whereas Air Service Licence (ASL) is given to providers with scheduled air services such as commercial airlines.

Currently, Ascend Airways is working on obtaining the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). As of now, there is no timeline provided for the AOC approval.