Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said he had "no hint" of the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) chief executive officer Peter Bellew's imminent departure.

He said he is still waiting for MAS to report what had transpired, but assured that the airline and the plan the restore its profitability would not be jeapordised.

"I didn’t receive any hint earlier, so I would like to find out the details yet. We are confident that MAS’ transformation will continue irrespective of who is the CEO or COO.

"MAS transformation is on the agenda. MAS is doing okay," he told reporters today when met at the sidelines of the Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry's  (MAICCI) Deepavali open house in Kuala Lumpur today.

To a question, Liow said it is up to Khazanah Nasional whether the vacancy left by Bellow would be filled by a promotion within MAS or by hiring from outside the airline.

Previously, the newspaper The Irish Times reported that Bellow would be returning to Ryanair as its COO starting on Dec 1.

He would be the second CEO to abruptly leave MAS within the three years that MAS has been under administration, after Christoph Mueller’s departure June last year.

Both Mueller and Bellow had been tasked with restoring the airline to profitability after years in the red and the MH370 and MH17 air disasters.

The sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional now owns MAS as part of the rescue plan.

In response, MAS had said that Bellow’s departure was unexpected, and pointed to a Sept 27 press conference where he expressed commitment with MAS when asked about speculation that he would be rejoining Ryanair.

MAS is to convene a board meeting to decide on its next course of action and make an announcement soon.