Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has called for quick action to rectify alleged irregularities in the awarding of contracts by some former Malaysia Airlines executives, said a report.

Abdullah's call comes after the national carrier said it had new evidence to show that some contracts and projects awarded in 1999 breached the law.

"There are bound to be various reactions from consumers, passengers and the public. What is important is that whenever we know of a problem, we must take immediate action to address the problem," Abdullah was quoted as saying by the Sunday Star newspaper.

"We must ensure that we achieve our goal to make Malaysia Airlines the best carrier."

Police investigations have already began, he added.

New report

On Friday, Malaysia Airlines said it had lodged a new police report on suspected irregularities in the awarding of a cargo project. It did not name the senior executives allegedly involved.

"The cargo project caused Malaysia Airlines to suffer heavy losses from December 1999 until the project was terminated in December 2000," it said.

Malaysia Airlines first lodged a police report in January 2002 on suspected wrongdoings involving the cargo project.