KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Malaysia Airline System Bhd said on Friday it has halted trading in its shares pending an announcement.

The carrier did not elaborate but sources told Reuters in July that state investor Khazanah Nasional Bhd, which owns 69 percent of MAS, plans to take it private as the first step in a major restructuring.

The airline said on Friday trading of its shares will be suspended from 09 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) but did not specify the duration of the suspension.

The plan comes after one of the loss-making carrier's aircraft, MH370, disappeared on March 8. On July 17, MH17 was shot down over Ukraine. Hundreds of people were killed in both incidents.

(Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui; Editing by Paul Tait)