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UTM denies news report claiming it spent RM2.7m on AirAsia livery

UTM Vice-Chancellor Datuk Wahid Omar took to Facebook to clarify that the public university did not spend RM2.7 million on the livery. — Picture via Facebook/profwahidutm
UTM Vice-Chancellor Datuk Wahid Omar took to Facebook to clarify that the public university did not spend RM2.7 million on the livery. — Picture via Facebook/profwahidutm

KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 — Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has rejected as “fake news” a local magazine’s report claiming it spent RM2.7 million to put its logo on AirAsia’s planes.

Vice-Chancellor Datuk Wahid Omar took to Facebook to clarify that the public university did not spend money on the livery, which was a joint venture with the popular budget airlines.

“This is fake news. UTM utterly condemned unethical journalism. UTM did not spend RM2.7million for the AirAsia-UTM Livery,” he wrote on Facebook last night.

“The special aircraft livery displaying UTM Logo on AirAsia’s Airbus A320 is a courtesy of AirAsia. The livery is a testimony of UTM’s close ties to one of the world’s most prominent brand,” he added

The post was accompanied by a screengrab of an article headlined “UTM spends RM2.7m to place logo on AirAsia livery” posed on the Advertising + Marketing website, which reports on the marketing industry.

The article has since been changed and its title now reads “UTM partners AirAsia to place logo on airline livery”.

Wahid also included a link to a Bernama report carried by Malay Mail about its special venture on the aircraft livery, which was designed by UTM’s Faculty of Build Environment and Surveying, showcased the university’s name, logo and tagline which is “Innovative, Entrepreneurial and Global”.

AirAsia Bhd founder and Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said the livery would be displayed only on one aircraft and will be flying to several Asian destinations.

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