(From left) AirAsia Aviation Group Ltd (AAG) deputy group CEO of corporate Farouk Kamal, Capital A Bhd chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, AAG chairman Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, president and group CEO Bo Lingam, and deputy group CEO of airline operations Datuk Captain Chester Voo at the press conference on Monday. (Photo by Low Yen Yeing/The Edge)

SEPANG (Jan 8): Capital A Bhd’s aviation arm AirAsia Aviation Group Ltd (AAG) has appointed Datuk Captain Chester Voo as the deputy group chief executive officer of airline operations, and Farouk Kamal as the deputy group CEO of corporate, effective from Monday.

Voo, who was formerly the CEO of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), will lead the airline operations, with a focus on optimising and enhancing efficiencies across core airline functions, as well as identifying and mitigating potential risks to improve the airline’s overall performance.

Farouk, who until his AAG appointment was the CEO of Urusharta Jamaah Sdn Bhd — the special purpose vehicle of the Ministry of Finance that took over Lembaga Tabung Haji’s distressed assets in 2019 — will be responsible for corporate functions involving finance, aircraft leasing, legal, investor relations and strategy, as well as internal audit and risk management for AAG.

Farouk was also appointed as an independent director of AirAsia X Bhd (AAX) in June last year.

Speaking at a press conference announcing the consolidation of Capital A Bhd’s aviation business into AAX, AAG president and group CEO Bo Lingam said that combined efforts of Chester and Farouk will allow the low-cost airline group to continue focus on its strategic decision-making, long-term planning, and overall organisational direction of the group.

“The synergy between the seasoned leaders and the existing team is expected to fuel further innovation, and drive us towards continued success. I am confident that both Chester and Farouk’s invaluable experience, within and outside of AirAsia, will be great assets to achieve our short-, medium- and long-term goals,” said Bo.

Upon the appointment announcement, Chester expressed his excitement to lead the charge in ensuring that AirAsia continues to set new benchmarks across all its businesses.

“The focus on efficiency, risk mitigation, and performance improvement will be instrumental in navigating the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead,” he said.

On Dec 30 last year, AAG appointed Riad Asmat to its board of advisers, following his resignation as the CEO of AirAsia Bhd (AirAsia Malaysia) on Dec 31, 2023.

AAG said that Riad will continue to sit on the board of AirAsia Malaysia and Ground Team Red — a joint venture between AirAsia Malaysia and SATS Ltd — while providing consultancy work for Capital A Aviation Services.

At the time of writing on Monday, shares in Capital A were three sen or 3.61% higher at 86 sen, with a market capitalisation of RM3.66 billion.