Malaysia Airlines has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chinese technology company Huawei to offer its booking, check-in and flight-status services through Huawei’s HarmonyOS software and wearable devices, the airline said Monday.

The deal covers AI-enabled HarmonyOS services, wearable integration and joint marketing, according to a press release from Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the airline’s parent. MAG said the aim is to make the airline’s services easier to reach across connected devices for Chinese travellers.

The MoU was signed by Dersenish Aresandiran, MAG’s Chief Commercial Officer of Airline Business, and Morgan Liu, Director of Oversea Ecosystem Development at Huawei Services (Hong Kong) Co Ltd. It was formalised on Sept 22 on the sidelines of Malaysia Airlines’ 2026 China Trade Gala in Shanghai.

Dersenish said the partnership would let the airline move beyond a conventional app. He said it combines AI-enabled discovery, self-service functions and real-time journey information, and called it “an important step towards creating a smarter and more intuitive travel experience.” Liu said Huawei looks forward to creating a connected experience tailored to Chinese travellers, according to the release.

The first area of cooperation is a customised Malaysia Airlines HarmonyOS Atomic Service 2.0. It would use Huawei’s AI assistant Xiao Yi (Celia), the HarmonyOS Intents Kit and AI-driven intent recognition to surface relevant airline functions based on user-authorised scenarios. Subject to technical deployment, travellers would be able to book flights, check in and see real-time flight status without downloading or opening a conventional airline app, MAG said.

The companies also plan to integrate the services with Huawei smart wearables, including the Huawei Watch series. Passengers would be able to receive flight notifications, view boarding passes and see travel alerts on their wrists through HarmonyOS Live Window capabilities.

The two sides will also work on targeted marketing across the HarmonyOS ecosystem, using Huawei’s Petal Ads platform to reach users with destination content, travel offers and services.

MAG said the digital partnership complements Malaysia Airlines’ network across Greater China, which currently covers nine gateways: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Changsha, Hong Kong and Taipei. It added that its regional airline Firefly plans to start daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and Kunming, in southwestern China, subject to regulatory approval.

The release did not give a launch date for the HarmonyOS services or the wearable features, or any financial terms.

The details are as stated in MAG’s press release and have not been independently verified.

Source: PR