KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Bhd has refuted a report from a business daily, quoting sources, that the national carrier had secured US$300 million grant to keep its operation afloat amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a brief response to the New Straits Times (NST) today, group chief executive officer Captain Izham Ismail said the report was untrue and "a crap news".
The business daily, quoting sources, said the grant was to ensure Malaysia Airlines continue its operations while retaining employees.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the national carrier was working on a recovery plan for its sole shareholder Khazanah Nasional Bhd before the latter can extend any potential assistance.
Khazanah managing director Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzwan had said that the plan might need time to be ironed out.
"The crisis is difficult for all airlines, anything travel or aviation-related. Just like any other airlines, they will have to come out with a plan to manage that," he reportedly said.
He said most people did not have a clear idea on what the future was going to look like in terms of travel and demand, which was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.