Firefly

Firefly is a Malaysian airline owned by Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the group that also owns Malaysia Airlines. Its own website describes it as a subsidiary of Malaysia Aviation Group Berhad, flying since 3 April 2007, and Wikipedia classes it as both a regional and a low-cost carrier. It runs two quite different operations: ATR 72-500 turboprops on short routes, mostly from Subang and Penang, and Boeing 737-800 jets on longer domestic and regional sectors. Because it sits inside a full-service group, it is not a pure low-cost airline: every Firefly fare includes a checked bag, and its passengers earn points in Malaysia Airlines' Enrich programme.

Turboprops first

The first flight, on 3 April 2007, ran from Penang to Kota Bharu with a 50-seat Fokker 50. Early routes linked smaller domestic airports such as Langkawi, Alor Setar and Kuala Terengganu with Penang and Subang. In June 2007 Malaysia Airlines agreed to acquire ATR 72-500s for the airline, and the Fokkers had been retired by the end of 2008. Firefly says on its own site that its network is aligned with the Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Growth Triangle and has more recently been extended to Sabah and Sarawak.

Two attempts at jets

Firefly first took Boeing 737-800s in December 2010 and began jet flights from Kuala Lumpur in January 2011, to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu and to Bandung and Surabaya in Indonesia. In August 2011 it announced that jet flying would end by the end of the year, as part of a restructuring at Malaysia Airlines, and the 737s went back to the parent. Jets returned during the recovery from the pandemic; Wikipedia gives 2021 in its history section and 2022 in its fleet section. In 2023 Firefly took over Malaysia Airlines' jet routes within Borneo, making Kota Kinabalu a secondary hub, and on 16 June 2024 it returned to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) after 13 years.

Where it flies

On 24 March 2025 Firefly added 737 flights from Subang to Kuching and Singapore Changi. Later that year MAG moved the jets to KLIA: ch-aviation reported in July 2025 that the move would start on 19 August 2025, with services to Tawau, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Singapore Changi, Johor Bahru, Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu and Sibu phased in by 3 September. The ATR 72-500s stayed at Subang's Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, serving Alor Setar, Johor Bahru, Kota Bharu, Langkawi, Kuala Terengganu and Singapore Seletar. Wikipedia's destination list, dated August 2026, also includes Banda Aceh in Indonesia, Krabi and Phuket in Thailand, and Cebu in the Philippines.

Fleet and cabin

A Wikipedia fleet table dated July 2026 lists 14 aircraft: nine ATR 72-500s with 72 seats and five Boeing 737-800s with 189 seats, the 737s transferred from Malaysia Airlines, with three more on order. On the 737, passengers can pay for Desired seats with extra legroom at the front, Preferred seats near the doors, or Standard seats, and every seat has USB power. Hot meals can be pre-booked on 737 flights longer than 75 minutes; ATR flights have no meal sales, and complimentary refreshments are served on all flights. Fares come in three brands: Saver, Basic and Flex.