AirAsia Group has secured the prestigious title of Top Low-Cost Carrier in Asia for 2024 by AirlineRatings.com. This recognition celebrates the airline’s remarkable journey, from its humble beginnings with just two planes in 2001 to becoming a powerhouse operating across multiple Southeast Asian nations.
Founded by Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and Tony Fernandes, AirAsia’s story exemplifies resilience and adaptation. Overcoming numerous external challenges, including regulatory hurdles and economic crises, the airline democratized air travel within ASEAN and redefined the low-cost carrier landscape. Today, AirAsia boasts a full-fledged airline network with bases in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Cambodia.
Rewriting the Rules of Low-Cost Travel
AirAsia, along with its affiliate medium-haul airlines, has revolutionized air travel in Asia. With a fleet exceeding 255 aircraft serving over 165 destinations, the group offers exceptional value and a seamless travel experience for its passengers.
AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief, Geoffrey Thomas, lauded AirAsia’s achievement, commending the leadership team for guiding the airlines to their dominant position. He highlighted AirAsia’s role in making travel accessible to nearly 800 million passengers across Asia and the Asia Pacific region.
Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A and Strategic Advisor to AirAsia Aviation Group, expressed his gratitude for the award, acknowledging the airline’s incredible post-pandemic recovery. He emphasized the group’s ambitious growth plans, including expanding to new continents and creating a strong, independent AirAsia Aviation Group. This move promises to deliver even more high-quality, low-cost travel options for short-, medium-, and long-haul flights.
Dedication, Resilience, and a Commitment to Excellence
Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group, reiterated the airline’s commitment to pushing boundaries within the low-cost carrier segment. He highlighted AirAsia’s dedication to operational excellence and its fleet of over 400 new-specification aircraft on order, paving the way for exciting new destinations and travel options across the globe.
The CEOs of AirAsia X (Benyamin Ismail) and AirAsia Philippines (Ricky Isla) echoed these sentiments, expressing their teams’ unwavering dedication and resilience. They emphasized the future potential of leveraging synergies within the group to enhance value for passengers across medium and long-haul routes.
This award serves as a testament to AirAsia’s unwavering commitment to innovation and operational excellence. With its “one airline strategy” and a focus on underserved communities, AirAsia looks poised to solidify its position as the leading low-cost global network carrier connecting Asia to the world.