The AirAsia group of airlines including Malaysia AirAsia, Thai AirAsia, AirAsia Philippines, and medium-haul affiliates AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia X have been awarded the Top LCC in Asia by industry experts at AirlineRatings.com in its annual Airline Excellence Awards.
Launched in 2001 by Tony Fernandes with just two planes, AirAsia has had spectacular growth over the past two decades to become a dominant force in the Asian region, with one of the largest fleets and broadest destinations in the region.
The rise and rise of Asean-based AirAsia is, without doubt, one of the airline industry’s great success stories for it has had to combat one external crisis after another, plus maneuver around a host of roadblocks put up by governments wanting to protect national (and often government-owned) airlines.
AirAsia and its Group airlines have rewritten the rule book for airlines in Asia and beyond.
AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas said that the win was “richly deserved.”
“Mr. Fernandes and AirAsia X Malaysia chief executive Benyamin Ismail have done an outstanding job guiding the airlines to their market dominant position.”
“These airlines have made travel affordable for hundreds of millions throughout Asia, and they offer outstanding value and a great experience.”
Capital A Group CEO Tony Fernades said, “This is truly humbling after the past few through most turbulent years in aviation history and we thank the experts at AirlineRatings.com for their continued support and honoring aviation excellence.
“As a leading aviation and travel ecosystem platform now we will continue to deliver the very best value across all of our businesses. Including platform business airasia superapp (airlines, hotels, ride, food), fintech, aircraft maintenance, and cargo, which is amongst the fastest growing in the Southeast Asian region.”
AirAsia Philippines CEO Ricky Isla said, “This recognition underscores our leadership position in the industry. It demonstrates our unwavering dedication to delivering excellent service while ensuring that air travel remains affordable and accessible to all. Throughout this journey, we have continuously aimed to give our best, fostering innovation, and introducing new features that enhance the overall travel experience. Rest assured, we will persistently prioritize delivering exceptional value and maintaining a customer-centric approach that has resonated with millions of travelers across the Philippines and beyond.”
Benyamin Ismail, CEO of AirAsia X also welcomed the news and said “At AirAsia X (AAX) we will always focus on delivering the very best in terms of safe, affordable, and reliable air travel for medium-haul flights which are typically over five hours across the Asia Pacific and beyond. We have already re-launched our most popular destinations to India, South Korea, Australia, Japan, China, and New Zealand and have many more destinations which we will be announcing soon as we review new low-cost flights to Istanbul for the first time and more to the greater China region to cater for strong demand. Our premium flatbeds which are amongst the best low-cost business-style seats in the sky alongside our incredible inflight service are one of many reasons our guests continue to fly with us. AAX is also thankful to the team at airlineratings.com for their unwavering support to acknowledge us yet again as amongst the world’s leading airlines in our category”.
