The joint administrators of Air Mauritius say media reports regarding a partnership with an African airline are false.

Media have reported that Ethiopian Airlines is in early talks with Air Mauritius about a potential partnership.

Air Mauritius’s administrators released a statement saying “no such discussions were ongoing presently”, and that they were working with stakeholders to explore all possible avenues to keep the airline afloat, enabling it to take off once the crisis was over.

“The stakeholders should rest assured that we will keep them updated as we progress in the administration process given the strategic importance of our national carrier for our economy, especially for the travel and tourism industry,” said Sattar Hajee Abdoula, one of the administrators, and ceo of Grant Thornton.