SINGAPORE, Aug 19 — AirAsia Bhd’s group chief executive, Tony Fernandes, dismissed a media report that the Malaysian carrier is weighing a bid for Japan’s Skymark Airlines Inc.

“Never seen such rubbish. AirAsia has no interest in Skymark in Japan,” Fernandes, co-founder of the budget airline, wrote on Twitter today.

Skymark’s shares jumped 28 per cent after the Nikkei business daily reported that AirAsia is in talks with financial institutions on a possible tender offer for the struggling carrier.

“We focused on new airline,” Fernandes said in a Twitter message. Last month, AirAsia said it would set up a low-cost airline with Japan’s biggest online retailer, Rakuten Inc, and other companies. — Reuters