SEPANG, July 2 ― Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said today that ailing national airline Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will brief him on its turnaround plans  next week.

MAS needs to carry out many changes in order to be viable, said Liow who only took on the transport portfolio last week.

“MAS needs to transform, everybody knows that they are undergoing some difficult times. They will give me a briefing very soon,” he told reporters at the KLIA2 airport today.

Liow declined to details of the turnaround plan ahead of his briefing.

On June 25, MAS said it was considering “all options” for a “radical” turnaround and did not rule out drastic steps such as declaring bankruptcy or selling off the flag carrier.

MAS did not give a timeframe for its takeover, but its majority shareholder and the government's investment arm Khazanah Nasional projected on June 10 that the airline has enough resources to operate for another 12 months.

Since 2011, MAS has racked up losses of over RM4 billion.

It  reported a loss of RM443 million in first quarter this year as the mysterious disappearance of Flight MH370 with 239 people on board compounded a typically slow period.

Today, Liow also said the Kedah Mentri Besar’s call for an airport in Kulim is “only a proposal” so far.

He said his ministry had yet to receive any proposal.

He also said the Johor state government's proposal to impose charges on vehicles entering the country from Singapore will have to be studied carefully.

Singapore had increased the charges for vehicles entering the country to reduce traffic congestion at certain hours, he said.

Yesterday, the Singapore Land Transport Authority said foreign-registered cars entering the republic will be charged a fee of S$35 (RM90.05), up from S$20 (RM51.46).

For vehicles carrying goods, the fee rises to S$40 (RM102.91) per month from S$10 (RM25.73)

The higher fees start in August and are expected to affect about 300,000 vehicles entering Singapore daily. The bulk of the vehicles are owned by Malaysians.

In a report by The Malay Mail today, the Pan-Malaysian Lorry Owners' Association said that between 3,000 and 4,000 lorries enter Singapore daily, describing the 400 per cent fee hike as “a bit ridiculous”.