KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 — Local flag carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is now the official flight partner of Liverpool Football Club.

The airline and the English Premier League football club today signed a three-year deal for an undisclosed sum.

"We’re delighted to welcome Liverpool FC to the Malaysia Airlines family,” said MAS chief executive Peter Bellew in a statement released on the club's website.

"Both brands have a long and illustrious history with similar cultures rooted around a sense of family… Additionally, Liverpool FC will go a long way in strengthening our brand in the UK, our gateway to Europe.”

Bellew also said the deal would allow MAS to leverage the club's popularity in the region and China.

MAS was taken private in 2014 by owners Khazanah Nasional as part of a 12-point turnaround plan to revive the airline by 2018.

Liverpool is currently fourth in the Premier League and last won the title in the 1989/90 season, when the league had still been called the First Division.