The Malaysian government has received four bids from investors willing to invest in the struggling flag carrier Malaysia Airlines (MH, Kuala Lumpur International), the state-owned Bernama news agency has reported.
"Many people are offering, some want to buy, some just to manage ... we are studying these proposals. We need to study it carefully because Malaysia Airlines already changed many times... We need someone with experience," Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said.
No details were revealed as to the identity of the interested parties. However, the Singaporean newspaper New Straits Times has reported that one of the bidders is Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International). The Middle Eastern carrier is reportedly the only foreign entity to have expressed interest in taking over Malaysia Airlines.
Earlier, the former non-executive chairman of AirAsia Group, Pahamin Abdul Rajab, reportedly met with the PM to submit his offer prepared together with five unnamed investors.
The AirAsia Group itself has previously distanced itself from any attempts to take over the flag carrier.
Earlier this year, Mahathir said that Malaysia Airlines' financial situation was poor and admitted that the government was even considering shutting it down. He later added that the government resolved to keep the carrier operational but only with an external investor.
