THE government should look at the necessity of maintaining a national airline following Malaysia Airlines’ inability to make profits in recent years, said former Khazanah Nasional Bhd managing director Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim.

He said the government should take into consideration the possibility of shutting down the airline.

“More and more people are speaking along the lines of ‘Why don’t we close it down?’

“Yes, maybe that is an option for the government to consider,” he told reporters at the sidelines of a governance forum in Petaling Jaya today.

“You must remember that MAS has been bailed out not just once, but two, three times before, and (it) was never successful after each bailout.

“(It) shows that it’s not easy (for it) to become profitable,” he added.

MAS was taken private by Khazanah in 2014 as part of its turnaround programme. It has invested RM6 billion to support the airline’s turnaround plan, which aimed to returning the airline to profit within three years.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad also mentioned the possibility of closing down MAS earlier today, saying Putrajaya would look into available options.

“Shutting the national airline down is a serious matter. We will study as to whether we should shut it down, sell it off, or refinance it,” the prime minister told reporters in the Parliament lobby today. – March 12, 2019.