ID :
363590
Wed, 04/15/2015 - 12:20
Auther :

AirAsia To Fly To Any City -- Fernandes

By Niam Seet Wei SHANGHAI, April 15 (Bernama) -- Malaysian low-cost airline, AirAsia, will fly to any city, especially the second- and third-tier, if there is an airport, said AirAsia Bhd group chief executive officer, Tony Fernandes. Fernandes said the carrier could play a big role to help develop the economy of the cities. "We hope to fly to every airport in China in the next 10 years," he said. He said this at a media briefing after the signing of the memorandum of understanding between AirAsia and UnionPay International, a subsidiary of Shanghai-based bankcard association, China UnionPay, here Wednesday. He said AirAsia would fly to four more destinations in China soon. He, however, declined to elaborate. Currently, AirAsia flies to some 30 routes in China, including second and third-tier cities such as Wuhan, Xi'an and Chongqing. Fernandes said the airline has carried more than 200 million passengers safely prior to the Indonesia AirAsia tragedy. "No airlines are 100 per cent safe. However, we will manage the risk as well as possible and seek improvements everyday," he said. Indonesia AirAsia, which flew from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore had crashed into the Java Sea off Borneo on Dec 28 last year, killing all 155 passengers and seven crew onboard. He said Indonesia AirAsia and Philippines AirAsia would launch initial public offerings in the first quarter next year. -- BERNAMA

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