Reuters quoted sources as saying that Air France-KLM is targeting a 49% share of Malaysia Airlines while Japan Airlines (JAL) is looking at a 25% stake.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was reported as saying that Malaysia had received five proposals for the debt-laden national carrier.
“There are about five proposals but, of course, some of them are just no go,” he had said at a media briefing in Langkawi, without giving more details.
“We need to listen to everybody to find out what is the best solution.”
The government has been seeking a strategic partner for the financially struggling airline, which is still recovering from two tragedies in 2014, when flight MH370 disappeared in what remains a mystery, and flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine.
The National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (Nufam) has urged the federal government to be transparent about any proposals to take over troubled Malaysia Airlines.
The union said the employees of the debt-laden national carrier deserved to know about any takeover plans first-hand and should not be “ambushed” by news coming from third parties.
It urged to government to name those interested in taking over the airline and also warned against a takeover by AirAsia X Bhd, saying the two companies were “time bombs” because of their financial constraints and losses.
It also urged AirAsia Group Bhd to come clean on any plans to merge with Malaysia Airlines and said a takeover would only benefit AirAsia by moving assets and cutting losses.
Sources told Reuters that apart from AirAsia, Malindo Air, the Malaysian arm of Indonesia’s Lion Air, had also submitted a proposal.
The Nufam warning against AirAsia comes on the heels of a news report yesterday speculating that the company was in the lead to take over Malaysia Airlines.
The airline was taken private by sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd in 2014, and has been struggling to post a profit.
Malaysia Airlines and JAL are both members of the oneworld airline alliance, while Air France-KLM is part of the rival SkyTeam alliance.
Khazanah, which appointed Morgan Stanley last year to advise on potential options for the airline, said it was working closely with the government.