Perkasa has called for a special committee to investigate MAS' mounting losses and propose a solution to turn the national carrier around.

Its president Ibrahim Ali said the committee, dubbed the "Special Independent Task Committee On MAS", should have the necessary powers to probe the entire company and make suggestions for the government to act on.

The committee's members, he said, should comprise top professionals, financial experts, representatives of the MAS employee unions and former CEOs.

"There are many personal views (regarding MAS' losses) and not all are valid, perhaps influenced by certain sentiments or personal interests," he said in a statement today.

He stressed that the committee should be independent and all parties must support and accept its report.

MAS had incurred losses of RM1.17 billion last year, RM433 million in 2012 and a record  RM2.5 billion in 2011.

According to Reuters, the airline is waiting for government approval to purchase up to 100 new and more fuel-efficient aircraft as part of its turnaround plan, costing billions of dollars.