He said he had checked with airlines which codeshare agreements with US-based carriers would be affected by the move.

“Malaysia Airlines has code-sharing with American Airlines, which may have an impact (in terms of passengers), but 91% of our tourists are from Asia. The rest are from Europe and the US,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to Reezal Merican (BN-Kepala Batas) who asked what effect the downgrade would have on Malaysia Airlines.

Reezal also said the downgrade would affect Malaysian carriers.

“The end users are the tourists, as Malaysia Airlines is seen as being second class among the premium airlines,” he added.

The US Federal Aviation Administration had cut Malaysia’s safety grade from Category 1 to 2, meaning that its airlines are subject to flight restrictions and more checks, among others.

Bakhtiar said his ministry would hold talks with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd and members of the aviation industry to monitor and improve the situation.

Yamani Hafez Musa (PH-Sipitang) earlier asked about the funds needed to make VMY2020 a success as well as what revenue was expected from the campaign.

Bakhtiar said the government is aiming to earn RM100 million from the campaign. He said under the 2020 Budget, his ministry has been allocated RM140 million – RM50 million each for advertising and promotion, and RM40 million for the VMY2020 campaign.