Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur) has issued this short statement about the intention of the government of Malaysia to take full control of the airline:

We have received notice of Khazanah’s intentions to take full ownership and delist Malaysia Airlines. Our Board of Directors will be deliberating this proposal and an official response from the company will be issued later.

During this period, our business operations remains unchanged.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation on this matter.

The initial statement was followed by this statement to table the government proposal for consideration at a later day:

An announcement has been made to Bursa Malaysia that the Malaysia Airlines Board of Directors has deliberated on the offer made by Malaysia Airlines’ majority shareholder, Khazanah Nasional Berhad (“Khazanah”) and resolved to table the proposed SCR to shareholders at an Extraordinary General Meeting to be scheduled at a later date.

Malaysia Airlines will continue to operate all our current flights, schedules and reservations. Our focus remains on delivering the world class customer service that we are known for around the world.

Here is the original full statement of Khazanah, the strategic investment fund of the government of Malaysia:

Khazanah Proposes to De-list Malaysian Airline System Berhad

We are pleased to announce that Khazanah Nasional Berhad (“Khazanah”) has today submitted a formal request to the Board of Directors of Malaysian Airline System Berhad (“MAS”) to undertake a selective capital reduction and repayment exercise (“Proposed SCR”) of MAS’ ordinary shares. The proposal will enable minority ordinary shareholders of MAS to receive a capital repayment amount of RM0.27 per ordinary share. This represents a 12.5% premium to closing price on 7 August 2014 and a 29.2% premium to the 3-month volume weighted average market price (“VWAMP”). Upon successful completion of the Proposed SCR, Khazanah will become the sole ordinary shareholder of MAS, which would lead to a de-listing of MAS.

In June 2014, Khazanah had announced that it was in the midst of undertaking a comprehensive review of MAS, in consultation with the Special Shareholder, the Minister of Finance Incorporated. Khazanah further clarified that subject to the necessary approvals from the relevant authorities, it would announce the proposed restructuring scheme within a period of 6 to 12 months. We reiterate that the proposed restructuring will critically require all parties to work closely together to undertake what will be a complete overhaul of the national carrier on all relevant aspects of, inter alia, the airline’s operations, business model, finances, human capital and regulatory environment. Nothing less will be required in order to revive our national airline to be profitable as a commercial entity and to serve its function as a critical national development entity.

In this regard, today’s proposal for de-listing represents the first stage of the restructuring scheme. Further, Khazanah is in the final stages of completing the overall restructuring proposal, and upon due process and approvals from the relevant authorities, regulators and the Special Shareholder, the Minister of Finance Incorporated, we envisage that additional detailed plans will be announced by the end of this month.

Khazanah is the strategic investment fund of the Government of Malaysia entrusted to hold and manage the commercial assets of the Government and to undertake strategic investments. Khazanah is involved in various sectors such as power, telecommunications, banking, healthcare, airport management, infrastructure, leisure and tourism, property development, broadcasting, investment holding, and technology. Some of the key listed companies in Khazanah’s investment portfolio include Telekom Malaysia Bhd., Tenaga Nasional Bhd., CIMB Group, Axiata Group Bhd., IHH Healthcare Bhd., Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd., and UEM Sunrise Bhd.

Copyright Photo: Richard Vandervord/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8H6 9M-MXA (msn 40128) departs from Phuket, Thailand painted in the retrojet livery of 1972 for its 40th Anniversary celebration in 2012.

Malaysia Airlines: