PUTRAJAYA is just as surprised as Malaysia Airlines at the sudden announcement of chief executive officer Peter Bellew’s decision to leave the ailing national carrier.

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai today said he had no idea that Bellew was planning to leave.

“I didn’t receive any hint earlier. I would like to find out the details,” he said of the announcement made yesterday, first by Irish budget airline Ryanair, where Bellew will take up the post of chief operations officer beginning December 1.

MAS issued a statement later, describing the announcement as “unexpected”.

Liow said he had not received any report from MAS.

As recently as last month, Bellew was reported in The Star as saying he would stay put at MAS despite speculation that he would return to Ryanair.

Liow said Bellew’s departure would not affect the MAS turnaround plan, but the ministry still wanted to know the reasons behind him leaving.

“We are confident that MAS’ transformation will continue, irrespective of who the CEO or COO is. MAS’ transformation is our agenda, and MAS is doing well,” Liow said on the sidelines of the Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s Deepavali open house.

Liow said it was up to Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the government investment arm that wholly owns MAS, to decide on a new CEO.

Earlier today, Khazanah denied a report that its meddling was the cause of Bellew’s decision.

Bellew joined MAS on September 1, 2015, as COO, following a restructuring plan by Khazanah that saw the retrenchment of 6,000 MAS employees.

He took over from outgoing CEO Christoph Mueller on July 1 last year after the latter quit MAS less than a year into his contract, citing personal reasons.

Bellew is the third MAS CEO in two years after Mueller and Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, who stepped down after the twin MH370 and MH17 tragedies in 2014. – October 18, 2017.