Photo: Shutterstock Malaysia Airlines is partnering with Huawei to expand its digital services for travelers in China, with plans to introduce AI-enabled flight booking, check-in functions and real-time travel updates through Huawei's HarmonyOS ecosystem and wearable devices.
The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) covering digital services, wearable technology and marketing.
The agreement was formalised on September 22, 2026, during Malaysia Airlines' China Trade Gala in Shanghai by Dersenish Aresandiran, chief commercial officer of airline business at Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), and Morgan Liu, director of overseas ecosystem development at Huawei Services (Hong Kong).
The partnership aims to make airline services accessible through connected devices and digital platforms, reducing the need for travellers to rely exclusively on a conventional airline app.
Malaysia Airlines. Photo: Lukas Wunderlich / ShutterstockThe first area of cooperation involves a customised Malaysia Airlines HarmonyOS Atomic Service 2.0. Using Huawei's AI assistant Xiao Yi, also known as Celia, alongside its HarmonyOS Intents Kit and AI-based intent recognition, the service is designed to present relevant airline functions based on user-authorised scenarios.
Subject to technical deployment, travelers could access services such as flight booking, check-in and live flight status without downloading or opening a dedicated airline app.
The planned integration also extends to Huawei smartwatches, including devices in the HUAWEI WATCH series. Through HarmonyOS Live Window capabilities, passengers could receive flight notifications, view boarding passes and access travel alerts directly from their wrists.
The companies also intend to explore targeted marketing through Huawei's wider digital ecosystem, including the Petal Ads platform. This could allow Malaysia Airlines to promote destinations, travel offers and relevant services to HarmonyOS users.
Aresandiran said the partnership reflects the expectations of highly connected Chinese consumers, while Liu said the companies aim to create a more intelligent and convenient travel experience tailored to the market.
The digital partnership comes as Malaysia Airlines maintains a network spanning nine Greater China gateways: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Changsha, Hong Kong and Taipei.
MAG also plans to expand its regional connectivity through Firefly, which intends to launch daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and Kunming, subject to regulatory approval. The proposed route would provide another link between southwestern China and Malaysia, with connections to onward destinations through Kuala Lumpur.
The MoU forms part of Malaysia Airlines' broader effort to develop digital services tailored to the Chinese market while strengthening its commercial presence in the region. However, the airline and Huawei have not specified a launch date for the planned HarmonyOS services.
Emirates has already partnered with Huawei to put flight services on Huawei watches, introducing its app on the brand's smartwatches, including the HUAWEI Watch 4. Features included booking and flight details, with a QR-code boarding pass available on the watch.
KLM also launched smartwatch apps offering flight information, boarding passes and travel notifications. Its early Android smartwatch service could send gate details and boarding-pass notifications before departure.
easyJet offers an Apple Watch app with personalised flight information and boarding passes stored through Apple’s wallet functionality.
JetBlue introduced an Apple Watch app with flight-status alerts, gate and terminal details, boarding information and a mobile boarding pass displayed on the wrist.