Malaysia Airports Holding Bhd has called off a plan to form a partnership with Dutch Schipol International BV.

Malaysia Airports last August announced plans to sell a 30-percent stake to the Dutch Schipol group, which operates Amsterdam airport.

However, the finance ministry and Schipol were "unable to reach satisfactory agreements on the proposed transaction", Malaysia Airports said in statement released later yesterday.

Malaysia Airports, however, said it was still open to the possibility of a strategic collabaration with other airport operators in the future.

Malaysia Airport officials have said the Kuala Lumpur International Airport is on track to become a regional hub, with passenger traffic expected to reach 18 million this year.

The ambitious RM9 billion airport has suffered a number of setbacks since opening in June 1998, with Aeroflot, British Airways, Qantas and Lufthansa scrapping flights for commercial reasons.