AirAsia has transformed the aviation industry in Southeast Asia with its low-cost business approach. The carrier’s history is filled with innovative milestones, fun quirks, and fascinating achievements.
Ready for takeoff? Let’s depart into the world of this game-changing low-cost airline. In no particular order, here are 10 fun facts about Air Asia, covering topics such as its history and current operations.
Air Asia Fun Facts
1. AirAsia was established in the 1990s
AirAsia was founded in December 1993 – commencing operations in 1996 – but it wasn’t until Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun took over in 2001 that the airline began to thrive.
2. The airline was bought for one Malaysian ringgit in 2001
Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranum bought the struggling carrier for a mere one Malaysian ringgit, assuming a debt of 40 million ringgit in the process.
In 2002, they rebranded and relaunched AirAsia as a low-cost airline, which marked the beginning of its current journey as one of the world’s leading low-cost carriers.
3. Pioneering the low-cost carrier model successfully
Notably, AirAsia was the first airline in Southeast Asia to effectively adopt the low-cost business model.
Today, other successful low-cost carriers in the region include Lion Air, Scoot, and Vietjet.
4. Big plans for the future
In February 2024, AirAsia revealed plans to become the world’s first low-cost network carrier.
Commenting on this initiative, Tony Fernandes said, “We are also looking to expand our medium to long-haul network to the European continent, to cities like London, Paris, Amsterdam, Bratislava, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Africa (Cairo, Nairobi, Cape Town), East Coast North America (New York, Miami, Toronto) via Europe and West Coast North America (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver) via Japan.”
5. The airline has a famous tagline
AirAsia introduced its “Now Everyone Can Fly” slogan in 2004 as part of its branding strategy.
This tagline effectively conveys the airline’s mission to make air travel accessible and affordable for all.
6. Southeast Asia’s largest low-cost airline
As it stands, AirAsia is the largest low-cost airline operating in Southeast Asia.
The airline provides extensive services throughout the region, as well as to destinations such as Japan and Australia.
7. AirAsia operates several regional subsidiaries
In addition to its primary airline, AirAsia operates several subsidiaries, including AirAsia Cambodia, Indonesia AirAsia, Philippines AirAsia, and Thai AirAsia.
8. Long-haul airlines: AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia X
Additionally, the airline has sister carriers, AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia X, which provide long-haul services utilizing Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
These airlines serve destinations such as Osaka, Japan, and Seoul, South Korea.
9. Best Low-Cost Airline Award for consecutive years
In 2024, AirAsia was named Skytrax’s World’s Best Low-Cost Airline, marking the 15th consecutive year it has received this honor.
Commenting on this milestone, Tony Fernandes said, “Skytrax champions global standards for airline quality and excellence, and we are thrilled to have risen to this benchmark for the 15th consecutive year.”
10. One of the first airlines to sell flights through social media
AirAsia was a pioneer in using social media as a platform for marketing and selling flights, becoming one of the first airlines to do so.
The airline leveraged platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) to boost sales.
This article was updated on October 9, 2024.
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