“A lot of people may not be happy if AirAsia joins MAB but we can learn something from AirAsia – gain knowledge and how to reap profit,” The Sun quoted him as saying.

He said if MAB and AirAsia worked together, complemented each other and did not compete, the chances of MAB recovering would be much better.

Speaking at a dialogue titled “The Missing Force” at Holiday Villa Hotel yesterday, Dr Mahathir said he could not believe how AirAsia, under the leadership of Tony Fernandes, had managed to do so well.

“How did AirAsia manage to give out free seats and comparable low flight ticket prices? Running an aircraft is not cheap. It is very costly,” he was quoted as saying.

Dr Mahathir added that he would raise his hat to MAB if it could follow the steps taken by AirAsia, charging low but still emerging profitable.

Meanwhile, National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia President Ismail Nasaruddin was quoted by The Sun as saying that MAB had been going through a dark period, including the retrenchment of 6,000 of its staff to save the company.

“I am saddened by the way the airline was managed that caused a lot of losses,” said Ismail.