Malaysia Airlines today said it is back on track for expansion after recovering from the recent Sars crisis, with plans to boost Asian routes, recruit some 800 staff and take on larger aircraft.

Sales and marketing senior general manager Ahmad Fuaad Dahlan said losses suffered during the Sars period, when the flag carrier had to ground eight aicraft and cut capacity by eight percent, would "definitely affect our bottomline."

However, the airline was not as badly hit as other regional carriers because Malaysia, which had five probable Sars cases including two deaths, was not at the "epicentre" of Sars, he said.