Ryanair said in a statement that Bellew would take over as its chief operations officer on Dec. 1. [L8N1MS2OH]

"At a press conference with Malaysian and international media on 27 September 2017, Bellew had expressed his commitment to Malaysia Airlines," the Malaysia Airlines statement said.

"The turnaround of Malaysia Airlines remains on track and on schedule," it added.

(Reporting by Conor Humphries; editing by Jason Neely)