No-frills AirAsia plans bold expansion
Malaysia's no-frills AirAsia has laid out a bold new expansion plan that will involve more than doubling its fleet, increasing flight frequency and launching international destinations.
Expressing optimism for the airline's outlook after surviving nearly a year in business, AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes told AFP the airline was in "for the long haul" and voiced his satisfaction at proving his critics wrong.
"They gave us just three months and then to cease operation," Fernandes said.
Since the airline began domestic flights in December last year, Fernandes said AirAsia had flown 800,000 passengers and was now making a monthly profit of one million ringgit (260,000 dollars).
He said AirAsia was now considered the second largest carrier to fly passengers to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the potential for growth in the domestic arena was huge.
"Only six percent of Malaysians fly, hence there is a massive untapped market for AirAsia," he said.
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