Malaysia Airlines warns of further losses

Malaysia Airlines has warned of further losses in the second half of the year because of the two tragedies to hit the airline in recent months.

In a statement it said it had seen "a sharp decline" in weekly bookings.

It comes as the airline reported a second quarter net loss of 307m Malaysian ringgit ($97.4m; £58.7m) for the three months to June, a BBC report stated.

The airline has been affected by the crash of flight MH17 in Ukraine and the disappearance of flight MH370.

"We expected the impact of MH370 on the performance in Quarter 2," said chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya.

"Given that our team put in much hard work and effort to regain market confidence and rebuild sales. Tragically, just as we were beginning to see signs of recovery in all regions, we were dealt the blow of MH17.

"The full financial impact of the double tragedies of MH370 and MH17 is expected to hit Malaysia Airlines in the second half of the year," he added.

Average weekly bookings declined 33 per cent, with numerous flight cancellations immediately after the MH17 incident, the company said.

Flight MH370 disappeared on 8 March on its way to Beijing with 239 people on board while MH17 was shot down in Ukraine on July 17, killing all 298 passengers on board. It is unclear who is responsible for the latter incident.