Plotting the process of the "Aseanisation of AirAsia", group CEO says he wants his low-cost carrier to be the first ever pan-Asian brand the world has seen.

PETALING JAYA: Always reaching for the skies, the Group CEO of AirAsia has big plans for his low-cost carrier, saying that in preparation for his retirement, he has put the wheels in motion to make AirAsia the “Emirates of Asia.”

In an interview with Web In Travel, soon after receiving the award for Airline Executive of the Year by CAPA (Centre for Aviation) in Amsterdam, Tony Fernandes talked about his vision for AirAsia, stressing it was not a Malaysian brand, but an Asean brand that would someday became an Asian brand.

“We are not from Malaysia, we are an Asean brand and in time, we will be an Asian brand,” Fernandes said when asked about his process of the “Aseanisation of AirAsia.”

“I want AirAsia to be the first true pan-Asian brand … We want to be the Emirates of Asia. I mean one day, you could have a Chinese, Indonesian or Thai as head of AirAsia,” he said.

When asked to comment on his “big ego”, Fernandes gamely responded to Web in Travel, saying, “We can’t be successful without egos, the key is to manage it.”

He however said he did not believe in surrounding himself with yes men because humility was “critical” and that putting his ego aside was not an issue with him.

“Yes, I am opinionated but I believe in consensus. But if I believe in something, I will force it through. That’s what leaders do, that’s my prerogative.”

He also admitted that while the airline industry in general was a male-dominated one, he took pains to ensure that AirAsia employed people who were not “driven by egos” but who could think logically.

“We have a good cross-section of alpha male and alpha females – our leadership positions are equally split between men and women. We have 100 female pilots, Singapore Airlines does not have a single female pilot,” he pointed out.

When talking about his idea of a “dream airport”, Fernandes said there was a need to establish a segmented airport i.e. “longhaul, premium, shorthaul, hub concept, low cost point to point.”

He also said airports needed to understand better the different types of customers they had and to separate shorthaul and longhaul, low cost and full cost airlines, and added, “Airports have improved their retail experiences but immigration and security are in the super dark ages and visas are prehistoric.”

On his plans for the future once he had achieved his “one AirAsia brand”, Fernandes told Web in Travel, “Education and at some point, I want to build a cheap hospital. I love private equity, doing venture funds, helping kids out.”

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/11/03/tony-wants-to-make-airasia-the-emirates-of-asia/