KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke directed questions today on the future of Malaysia Airlines Bhd to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, saying the prime minister was personally handling the issue.

He said there was no fixed schedule for a decision but suggested that the urgency of the matter merited early attention.

"I don’t know about the proposal as it is directed to the PM,” he told reporters when asked about parties that have shown interest in buying over the airline.

"There is no timeline but we need to decide the future of Malaysia Airlines as soon as possible as it is facing difficulties. It’s better for the government to decide soon.”

Last week, Dr Mahathir had said the government was looking at shutting down, selling off, or refinancing the national carrier.

Yesterday, he claimed that both local and foreign parties had expressed interest in buying the airline.

However, he said the government is still considering maintaining its stake in the financially-troubled airline.

The airline was privatised in 2014 as part of a revival bid but continued its trend of heavy losses.