(AFP) Australia's national flag carrier Qantas Airways Ltd will resume flights to Malaysia by September next year or January 2003, a report said today.

Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik said he was informed by Qantas chief executive officer Geoff Dixon on Monday that Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) would be one of the destinations.

"This will help boost tourism, trade and investment between Australia and countries in the region,' he said.

Qantas withdrew its flights to Malaysia in 1999 due to low load factor.

Ling said Qantas would also serve domestic routes such as Penang, Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo island.

The announcement will be a boost for the futuristic KLIA.

Since KLIA opened in June 1998, Aeroflot, British Airways and Lufthansa have scrapped flights to it for commercial reasons - dealing a blow to efforts to promote the RM9 billion airport as a regional hub.