KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) has come out to say that recent speculation on the airline offering some of its fleet for sale or lease is “too premature”.

According to its newly-appointed chief executive officer Christoph Mueller, exploring fleet options to enhance viability of long-haul sectors is one area being looked into.

“As such, recent speculation on the airline offering some of its fleet for sale or lease is too premature when nothing concrete has been achieved,” he said in a statement yesterday.

“MAS needs to operate and utilise its fleet at an optimum level besides maximising revenue on the route it flies.

“The market needs to give MAS room to explore various options in determining the most viable strategy,” Mueller added.

Mueller had assumed leadership of the MAS group on May 1, 2015 following a decision by its sole shareholder, Khazanah Nasional Bhd, to accelerate the leadership transition to enable Mueller to be in the executive capacity to lead the overall restructuring of MAS.

MAS said: “Most important on Mueller’s plate is to drive the design and implementation of the business plan for the new Malaysia Airlines Bhd, to turn the national carrier to sustainable profitability.”

It was reported last Friday that MAS was looking to restructure its fleet by offering 16 of its aircraft for sale or lease, according to an aviation blog.

The airline is reported to be selling off all six of its Airbus A380s, two Boeing 747-400Fs, four A330-200Fs and four Boeing 777-200ERs.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on May 5, 2015.