‘MORE LCC TERMINALS NEEDED’
Asean govts also need to let go of ownerships of some airports, says AirAsia boss
AIRASIA Bhd group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes will continue to persuade Asean governments to create more low-cost carrier (LCC) terminals and airports, especially in smaller cities, over the next five years.
He said people were now beginning to see that low-cost airlines were a totally separate business proposition compared with full-service airlines.
“I am saying to the governments (to) make travelling low cost and cheaper, so that airlines like us can invest and give more jobs to the people there,” he said after receiving the Asean Business Award (ABA) in the Priority Integration Tourism Sector category, here, yesterday.
Fernandes said it was time for Asean governments to let go of ownerships of some airports to private entrepreneurs.
“We have private roads, ports and telephone companies. I think airports are (now) the last utility that should be privatised,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ABA for Priority Integration Tourism Sector award recognises AirAsia’s outstanding performance in Asean’s Priority Integration Sector for Tourism category.
Fernandes said the award, the group’s first from Asean, was an important recognition of the company’s image as an Asean company.
“This is the first we have won from Asean, which is really important to me because we have always seen ourselves as an Asean company.
“We are making Asean smaller, we are connecting Asean more,” he said.
The award was presented by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, witnessed by Philippine Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez and Asean Business Advisory Council (BAC) chairman Joey Concepcion.
The ABA was created by the Asean BAC in 2007 to recognise outstanding Asean enterprises, serve as a platform to spread information on the Asean Economic Community, and spotlight firms that have the potential to become global economic players in their respective industries.
In addition to tourism, Priority Integration Sector awards were given for achievements in 11 other sectors — fisheries, electronics, e-Asean/ICT, textiles, logistics, wood-based, rubber, agri-foods, healthcare, automotive and retail.
Another Malaysian-based company, Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd, won the Priority Integration Sector under the rubber category yesterday.