Firefly

ICAO: FFM Active as of Dec 11, 2025

60

Active Routes

1077

Flight Observations

20

Unique Destinations

22

Origin Airports

501

Avg Route Distance (mi)

1968

Longest Route (mi)

0

Domestic Routes

60

International Routes
About Firefly

Firefly Airlines (ICAO: FFM) is a Malaysian regional and low-cost carrier, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), alongside Malaysia Airlines. The airline was founded on March 16, 2007, and commenced operations on April 3, 2007, with its inaugural flight from Penang International Airport to Kota Bharu. Initially, Firefly focused on connecting underserved domestic markets within Malaysia.

Firefly's main operational bases and hubs are Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang and Penang International Airport in Penang, with a secondary hub at Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Sabah. The airline operates a dual-fleet strategy, primarily utilizing ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft for short-haul routes and Boeing 737-800 jet aircraft for medium-haul and higher-capacity services. After a decade-long hiatus, Firefly resumed jet operations in 2021/2022, expanding its network and service offerings. Its fleet currently consists of 9 ATR 72s and 5 Boeing 737-800s.

The airline's route network extends across Malaysia domestically and to neighboring countries including Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and China. Firefly operates a total of 28 scheduled flights, encompassing 16 domestic routes within Malaysia and 12 international routes across 6 countries. Firefly is not a member of any major global airline alliance (like Star Alliance, SkyTeam, or Oneworld); however, it is linked to Malaysia Airlines' frequent flyer program, Enrich, allowing passengers to earn and redeem miles. The airline primarily offers an Economy Class cabin, featuring complimentary refreshments, a checked baggage allowance (10kg for jet flights on FlyBasic, 20kg for ATR), and assigned seating. For jet operations, Firefly has introduced prebooked meals and a "FY Neighbour-Free Seat" option for added comfort.

What Travelers Say

Traveler reviews for Firefly Airlines present a mixed but generally satisfactory picture, with notable appreciation for certain aspects despite recurring complaints about operational consistency. The overall sentiment is that the airline can provide a pleasant experience when flights run smoothly, but reliability issues can significantly impact traveler satisfaction. Firefly receives an average rating of 7.4/10 from travelers, indicating good service overall.

What Travelers Love:

  • Complimentary Services: Many travelers appreciate the complimentary refreshments and a decent checked baggage allowance (20kg for ATR, 10kg for jet flights on FlyBasic), which is often a value-added feature compared to other low-cost carriers.
  • Comfortable Seating and Cabin Environment: Passengers frequently highlight the comfortable leather seats and good seat pitch, particularly on the ATR aircraft, leading to a pleasant journey. Refreshed cabin interiors on their Boeing 737-800s have also been positively noted.
  • Friendly and Efficient Cabin Crew: The attentiveness and efficiency of the flight attendants are often praised, especially for their ability to provide service promptly even on very short flights.
  • Convenient Operational Hubs: The use of city airports like Subang is highly valued for its accessibility and shorter travel times, particularly for those traveling to or from central Kuala Lumpur.

Common Complaints:

  • Frequent Flight Delays and Rescheduling: A significant and recurring complaint from travelers involves multiple flight reschedules and substantial delays, often communicated with short notice. This unpredictability can cause considerable inconvenience, especially for those with connecting plans or business appointments.
  • Customer Service Issues: Some reviews mention difficulties with customer service, including unresponsive email complaints and unhelpful or rude staff when issues arise. Firefly shifted to digital live chat support in July 2024, aiming to enhance customer experience.
  • Lack of In-Flight Entertainment/Wi-Fi: As a low-cost carrier, Firefly does not typically offer in-flight entertainment systems or Wi-Fi, which is a point of complaint for some passengers, especially on longer routes.

Overall sentiment is mixed, with strong positives for in-flight service and comfort when flights are on schedule, contrasted by frustration over frequent and often inconvenient flight delays and reschedules.

Safety Information

Firefly Airlines maintains a solid safety profile, backed by recent certifications and a generally positive safety record.

  • Recent Safety Record and Notable Incidents: Firefly holds a 7/7 safety rating from AirlineRatings.com, which is the highest possible rating, indicating a strong commitment to safety standards. There are no reports of fatal accidents. However, past incidents include an engine shutdown in flight in 2013, issues with landing gear retraction in 2014, and an event involving smoke in the cabin in October 2024. These incidents appear to have been managed without major catastrophe, reflecting effective safety protocols.
  • Regulatory Certifications: In a significant development, Firefly successfully achieved registration in the International Air Transportation Association’s (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) in July 2024. This marks their first successfully completed IOSA audit as a registered airline, demonstrating adherence to high international aviation safety and operational excellence standards.
  • Fleet Age and Maintenance Reputation: Firefly operates a fleet comprising ATR 72-500 turboprops and Boeing 737-800 jets. The ATR 72 series aircraft are described as optimized for efficiency, passenger comfort, safety, and reliability. The Boeing 737-800s, while some may be around 13 years old, have reportedly undergone refreshing, presenting a modern and clean cabin interior. As a subsidiary of Malaysia Aviation Group, Firefly benefits from the robust maintenance and training standards associated with its parent company, Malaysia Airlines.
  • Overall Safety Assessment Based on Available Data: Based on the 7/7 safety rating from AirlineRatings.com and the recent IOSA registration in July 2024, Firefly's overall safety assessment is strong. The airline demonstrates a commitment to maintaining global safety benchmarks in its operations and procedures.
  • Safety Awards or Recognitions: Firefly received a Bronze Award in the Transportation, Travel & Tourism category at the 2024 Putra Brand Awards. While this award focuses on consumer preference and brand success rather than specific safety metrics, it reflects a broader positive perception of the airline, which includes aspects of reliable service and customer experience. The successful IOSA registration is itself a significant recognition of its adherence to international safety standards.
Content generated by AI based on web research • Updated 2 weeks, 1 day ago
Route Network Map
Most Popular Routes
116 flights
AT72
PEN → SZB
Penang International Airport → Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah
174 miles
109 flights
AT72
92 flights
AT72
75 flights
AT72
58 flights
AT72
SZB → JHB
Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah International Airport → Senai Int'l (Sultan Ismail Int'l)
179 miles
57 flights
AT72
JHB → SZB
Senai International Airport → Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah
179 miles
50 flights
AT72
LGK → SZB
Langkawi International Airport → Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah
254 miles
47 flights
AT72
PEN → KBR
Penang International Airport → Sultan Ismail Petra
151 miles
40 flights
AT72
38 flights
AT72
Top Destinations
SZB (WMSA)
Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah
Subang Jaya
262 flights
10 routes
PEN (WMKP)
Penang Int'l
George Town
161 flights
8 routes
KBR (WMKC)
Sultan Ismail Petra
Kota Bharu
121 flights
3 routes
XSP (WSSL)
Singapore Seletar Airport
Singapore
116 flights
1 route
KUL (WMKK)
Kuala Lumpur Int'l
Sepang
76 flights
9 routes
JHB (WMKJ)
Senai Int'l (Sultan Ismail Int'l)
Senai / Johor Bahru
65 flights
3 routes
TGG (WMKN)
Sultan Mahmud Int'l
Kuala Terengganu
58 flights
1 route
LGK (WMKL)
Langkawi Int'l
Langkawi (Pulau Langkawi)
53 flights
2 routes
BKI (WBKK)
Kota Kinabalu Int'l
Kota Kinabalu
48 flights
6 routes
AOR (WMKA)
Sultan Abdul Halim
Alor Star
30 flights
1 route
Top Origin Airports
SZB (WMSA)
Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah International Airport
Subang
468 flights
8 routes
PEN (WMKP)
Penang International Airport
Penang
234 flights
10 routes
KUL (WMKK)
Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Sepang
64 flights
8 routes
LGK (WMKL)
Langkawi International Airport
Langkawi
62 flights
2 routes
JHB (WMKJ)
Senai International Airport
Johor Bahru
60 flights
3 routes
BKI (WBKK)
Kota Kinabalu International Airport
Kota Kinabalu
43 flights
6 routes
BTJ (WITT)
Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport
Banda Aceh
32 flights
1 route
XSP (WSSL)
Seletar Airport
Seletar
21 flights
1 route
KCH (WBGG)
Kuching International Airport
Kuching
17 flights
3 routes
TGG (WMKN)
Sultan Mahmud Airport
Kuala Terengganu
15 flights
2 routes
Top Border Crossing Flights
SZB (WMSA)
Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah International Airport
Subang Jaya, MY
262 flights
10 routes
PEN (WMKP)
Penang International Airport
George Town, MY
161 flights
8 routes
XSP (WSSL)
Seletar Airport
Singapore, SG
116 flights
1 route
KUL (WMKK)
Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Sepang, MY
76 flights
9 routes
BKI (WBKK)
Kota Kinabalu International Airport
Kota Kinabalu, MY
48 flights
6 routes
Longest Routes
CKG → KCH
Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport → Kuching Int'l
1968 mi
TFU → BKI
Chengdu Tianfu International Airport → Kota Kinabalu Int'l
1848 mi
PEN → CKG
Penang International Airport → Chongqing Jiangbei Int'l
1740 mi
TWU → MFM
Tawau Airport → Macau Int'l
1270 mi
MFM → TWU
Macau International Airport → Tawau
1270 mi
Shortest Routes
PEN → LGK
Penang International Airport → Langkawi Int'l
81 mi
LGK → PEN
Langkawi International Airport → Penang Int'l
81 mi
BKI → SDK
Kota Kinabalu International Airport → Sandakan
138 mi
SDK → BKI
Sandakan Airport → Kota Kinabalu Int'l
138 mi
PEN → KBR
Penang International Airport → Sultan Ismail Petra
151 mi
All Routes
60 Total Routes
Showing 25 most popular routes
Route Destination Flights Distance Aircraft Last Seen
SZB → XSP Singapore Seletar Airport
Singapore
116 199 mi AT72 Dec 10, 2025
PEN → SZB Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah
Subang Jaya
109 174 mi AT72 Dec 11, 2025
SZB → PEN Penang Int'l
George Town
92 174 mi AT72 Dec 10, 2025
SZB → KBR Sultan Ismail Petra
Kota Bharu
75 216 mi AT72 Dec 10, 2025
SZB → TGG Sultan Mahmud Int'l
Kuala Terengganu
58 189 mi AT72 Dec 10, 2025
SZB → JHB Senai Int'l (Sultan Ismail Int'l)
Senai / Johor Bahru
57 179 mi AT72 Dec 10, 2025
JHB → SZB Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah
Subang Jaya
50 179 mi AT72 Dec 8, 2025
LGK → SZB Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah
Subang Jaya
47 254 mi AT72 Dec 9, 2025
PEN → KBR Sultan Ismail Petra
Kota Bharu
40 151 mi AT72 Dec 6, 2025
SZB → LGK Langkawi Int'l
Langkawi (Pulau Langkawi)
38 254 mi AT72 Dec 10, 2025
BTJ → PEN Penang Int'l
George Town
32 335 mi AT72 Dec 9, 2025
SZB → AOR Sultan Abdul Halim
Alor Star
30 226 mi AT72 Dec 10, 2025
XSP → SZB Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah
Subang Jaya
21 199 mi AT72 Dec 3, 2025
KUL → BKI Kota Kinabalu Int'l
Kota Kinabalu
18 1014 mi B738 Dec 11, 2025
PEN → KUL Kuala Lumpur Int'l
Sepang
17 202 mi B738 Dec 10, 2025
PEN → BKI Kota Kinabalu Int'l
Kota Kinabalu
17 1087 mi B738 Oct 24, 2025
PEN → HKT Phuket Int'l
Phuket
16 237 mi B738 Dec 8, 2025
PEN → LGK Langkawi Int'l
Langkawi (Pulau Langkawi)
15 81 mi B738 Dec 10, 2025
LGK → PEN Penang Int'l
George Town
15 81 mi B738 Dec 9, 2025
KUL → KCH Kuching Int'l
Kuching
14 604 mi B738 Nov 21, 2025
TGG → SZB Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah
Subang Jaya
14 189 mi AT72 Sep 4, 2025
KCH → KUL Kuala Lumpur Int'l
Sepang
12 604 mi B738 Nov 30, 2025
BKI → KUL Kuala Lumpur Int'l
Sepang
12 1014 mi B738 Dec 5, 2025
TWU → KUL Kuala Lumpur Int'l
Sepang
11 1139 mi B738 Dec 5, 2025
BKI → TWU Tawau
Tawau
9 182 mi B738 Sep 3, 2025
Data Information:

Airline statistics are based on flight route observations collected from FlightAware AeroAPI and other sources. Flight counts represent observed operations, not scheduled frequencies. Route data is continuously updated as new flight information becomes available.

Data Freshness: Real-time
Last Update: Dec 11, 2025 03:01
Coverage: Observed routes only