AirAsia Head Honcho Tan Sri Tony Fernandes was elated when he heard from his AirAsia team on the news that the fleets are taking to the skies once again and that bookings had reached 75% pre-pandemic levels with border reopening.
With 200 planes including Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, the reopening of borders has been welcome news for the low-cost airline operator, the group has been saddled with severe operation costs since the pandemic started forcing the group to pivot into various new businesses to generate revenue.
Among its big bet is the airasia SuperApp, a digital lifestyle app targeting Southeast Asia consumers, in a video call with the media, Tony announced a five-year strategic collaboration with Google Cloud to advance the app’s vision of a co-innovation ecosystem that all businesses and developers can partake in to serve the daily needs of people in the region. The two organizations will combine core competencies to nurture technology talent, co-create software tools for open innovation, deliver data-driven intelligence on behalf of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) on the platform, and ensure accessibility for diverse users in cities and rural areas.
On the focus strategy, since the border reopening and AirAsia planes flying again, Tony reaffirms his commitment to growing the SuperApp and has capable CEOs managing all of the 5 business units under Capital A and doesn’t see any distraction in driving all of them.
Tony forecasts barring any changes in border policies and encouragement with flight take-up rate, the group could see profitability in 2023, a rather remarkable turnaround, he quipped.
