SEPANG, Dec 2 — AirAsia has initiated discussions with Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic after he raised concerns over the airline’s use of his Children on Bicycle artwork without permission, AirAsia Brand Co (ABC) CEO Rudy Khaw confirmed.

Khaw told Malay Mail that the airline had acted swiftly to address the issue with Zacharevic, though he refrained from disclosing specifics about the ongoing matter.

"We are working on that. We have reached out to Ernest, he has been in touch as well,” Khaw said in a short reply, when met at the AirAsia headquarters, here.

Zacharevic, who gained fame for his street murals in Penang, expressed his determination to take further action if the airline continued to use his work without consent.

The artist, who shot to fame after his series of murals in Penang became well-known, said it was not the first time this had happened.

"I am hoping to resolve this quickly with AirAsia, but should such effort proves futile, I am willing to go as far as it takes to put a stop to this for good,” he told Malay Mail in an email interview.

Last week, Zacharevic posted a picture of an AirAsia airplane at the Penang International Airport that had a copy of his Children On Bicycle mural, decorating the forward part of the fuselage behind the cockpit.

He had tagged the airline and its founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes in the post with one line: "I think we need to talk...”.

"This is not the first time it happens, and it’s time that a corporate giant like AirAsia demonstrates corporate responsibilities and respect for rights of artists and intellectual property,” he added.

He added that his team is also reaching out to AirAsia regarding the issue, but it was "difficult to get through the many corporate layers to the correct person.”

He said he is not sure how many of AirAsia’s planes featured his artwork without his consent, but he saw the first one at the Penang International Airport on November 22.

"I am guessing there are a few of them,” he said.