“Air France-KLM had previously been in contact with Malaysia Airlines’ shareholders, but at this stage, Air France-KLM is not a current party to the sales process of Malaysia Airlines,” the Paris-based group told the news agency.

It said its interest in Malaysia Airlines was in line with its goal to look out for investment opportunities.

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.

Earlier, Reuters quoted sources as saying that Air France-KLM was targeting a 49% share of Malaysia Airlines while Japan Airlines (JAL) was looking at a 25% stake.

Malaysia Airlines and JAL are both members of the oneworld airline alliance, while Air France-KLM is part of the rival SkyTeam alliance.

The news agency also reported that apart from AirAsia, Malindo Air, the Malaysian arm of Indonesia’s Lion Air, had also submitted a proposal.