Malaysia's brand ambassadors

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and Hong Kong-based Malaysian actress Datuk Seri Michelle Yeoh were named Malaysia Brand Ambassadors at the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland.

The "Malaysian Night" held last Friday was the highlight of Malaysia's participation in this year's WEF.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak attended the function which highlighted Malaysia's best success stories and potentials for the international market to see.

Fernandes is the lead example of a successful Malaysian businessman who has impacted the entire aviation industry in the country with Asia's largest low-cost carrier, AirAsia.

With the slogan "Now Everyone Can Fly," AirAsia has given countless opportunities for travellers to fly to their preferred destinations with affordable ticket prices.

From 2009 to 2012, AirAsia has won the coveted World's Best Low-Cost Airline award from Skytrax, chosen from a survey of 18 million travellers on average.

The low-cost carrier (LCC) has a young all-Airbus fleet and operates about 105 Airbus A320s, nine Airbus A330s and two Airbus A340 aircraft. It flies more than 150 routes to 89 destinations, 57 of which are in Asean and the rest in Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, India, Nepal and Australia.

It has ferried more than 120 million guests in its first decade of operations and expects to carry its 150th million guest in the near future.

AirAsia also provides employment for 10,000 people from across the region and beyond.

In December last year, AirAsia ordered 100 new Airbus A320 aircraft comprising 64 A320 new engine options and 36 A320 current engine options for operation across the carrier's network.

The order is part of the carrier's regional strategy to continue placing it ahead of competition regionally with its extensive growth through new routes and added frequencies.