Featured Map for 8 March 2017:
Malaysia Airlines: Where Now?

Three years ago, Malaysia Airlines flight 370 (MH370), a Boeing 777-200ER with 239 souls aboard (227 passengers as 12 crew), disappeared on what was expected to be a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Just over four months later, MH17, another 777-200ER flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down near Donetsk, Ukraine, with a loss of 298 people (283 passengers and 15 crew).

Malaysia Airlines had a fleet of 17 Boeing 777s. Where are the remaining 15 now flying? Nowhere, at least not for Malaysia. Most have been stored or scrapped, with just one flying for VIM Airlines from a hub at Moscow (Domodedovo).

Malaysia's long-haul fleet now consists entirely of Airbus aircraft, with 15 A330-300s and six A380s. An additional three A330-200Fs are dedicated cargo aircraft. (56 Boeing 737-800s serve shorter routes.)

Today's Featured Map shows the long-haul routes on which these 21 Airbus aircraft are deployed, with the A330 routes shown in red and the A380 routes in blue. Also shown, in orange, is what is currently believed to be the most probable location of MH370 (source: Australian Transport Safety Bureau).

References and additional information:

• Malaysia Airlines
• MH370
  • The Search for MH370 – Australian Transport Safety Bureau
    • MH370 - Definition of Underwater Search Areas (3 December 2015)
  • David Griffin (CSIRO)
    • MH370 - drift analysis
    • The search for MH370 and ocean surface drift (8 December 2016)
  • Media Statement & Information on Flight MH370 – Malaysia Airlines
  • Crash: Malaysia B772 over Gulf of Thailand on Mar 8th 2014, aircraft missing, data indicate flight MH-370 ended west of Australia, first MH-370 debris identified, search suspended – The Aviation Herald
  • MH370 – FlightGlobal
• MH17
  • Investigation crash MH17, 17 July 2014 / Donetsk – Dutch Safety Board
  • Media Statement & Information on Flight MH17 – Malaysia Airlines
  • Crash: Malaysia B772 near Donetsk on Jul 17th 2014, aircraft was shot down from separatist controlled ground – The Aviation Herald (28 September 2016)
• Planespotters.net
  • Malaysia Airlines Fleet Details and History
  • VP-BDW VIM Airlines Boeing 777-2H6(ER) - cn 28417 / 222
• VIM Airlines
• Featured Map: Moscow to New York, No Ukraine (12 September 2014)
• Featured Map: A380s at Heathrow (1 January 2015)