AirAsia CEO shares story of success
AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes launched his memoirs, Flying High, a look back at his journey from music man to airline man.
The book was unveiled at a star-studded affair at Marini’s On 57 in Kuala Lumpur, in the shadow of the Petronas Twin Towers.
“Flying High is a story about the power of dreams. When I first started AirAsia with Datuk Kamarudin, everyone thought we were crazy. They said we had no business running an airline and it wouldn’t work. If we had listened to them, we would have given up before we even started and this book wouldn’t exist,” Fernandes said.
“This book is proof that dreams do come true, and I hope it will encourage others to pursue their true passion. Believe the unbelievable, dream the impossible and never take no for an answer. Even if you fail, it doesn’t matter because at least you’ve tried and you can do it again, so trust in your gut feeling, don’t listen to anyone else’s advice and go ahead - write your own incredible story.” Flying High recounts Fernandes’ journey from a young boy growing in Malaysia to a homesick British boarding school student with a tuck box full of dreams, all the way to his time at Warner Music and finally as AirAsia chief - with plenty of stops along memory lane in between.
Learn about what drives Fernandes and the moments that shaped him, including a chance encounter with Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, that eventually led to Fernandes’ first job out of university.
Published as Tan Sri Tony Fernandes returns as the face of the second series of Apprentice Asia, the book is an inspiring personal story of an exceptional business leader who created Asia’s first budget airline and democratised air travel in Asia, building AirAsia into a multi-billion-dollar company in the process.
The launch was attended by AirAsia co-founder and AirAsia Malaysia executive chairman Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, AirAsia Malaysia independent director Dato’ Fam Lee Ee, AirAsia Malaysia CEO Aireen Omar, AirAsia X Malaysia CEO Benyamin Ismail, AirAsia Thailand CEO Tassapon Bijleveld, AirAsia Group CEO for Indonesia Dendy Kurniawan, and AirAsia India CEO Amar Abrol. /