(AFP) Northwest Airlines announced today it would suspend one of its services to Malaysia because the route was not making money.

The US airline said in a statement that Osaka-Kuala Lumpur was one of three unprofitable Asian services which it would halt at the end of September.

The others are Seattle-Osaka and Osaka-Kaohsiung, in southern Taiwan.

"While it is always difficult to suspend international services, in the current economic environment these flights have not been profitable," said Philip Haan, an airline executive vice president.

"The route changes are part of Northwest's strategy to enhance revenues and reduce costs in the face of declining business travel resulting from the slowing economy," he added in the statement on the airline's web page.

The announcement is further bad news for operators of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

Incentives

Since the futuristic RM9 billion airport opened in June 1998, five airlines have announced they are halting services altogether to KLIA.

Northwest will continue to fly to Los Angeles daily and to Newark three times a week out of KLIA.

It runs four flights a week from Seattle to Osaka and from Osaka to Kaohsiung, while the Osaka-Kuala Lumpur service operates three times a week.

In March, Northwest announced several revenue-raising and cost-cutting measures aimed at raising US$200 million.

"Even though Northwest is suspending service to these markets at the present time, we intend to return," Haan said.

Last month the government announced major cuts in charges to increase business at KLIA, sited 50 kilometres (31 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur.

It said new passenger flights would be excused landing and parking charges for one year, as would extra flights by airlines which already serve KLIA.

Flights must be at least 25 percent full to qualify.