Tony Fernandes’ luxury 125-acre Scotland estate for sale
KUALA LUMPUR: Airline magnate Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has put up for sale his 18thcentury Ayrshire estate in Scotland, which he is thought to have bought for £2.5 million (RM13.55 million) back in 2013.
The AirAsia Group CEO’s massive property is listed on the website of prominent real estate firm Savills, which described the place as an “exquisite private and secluded estate in the picturesque Ayrshire countryside”.
The listing was also reported by UK daily The Sun, which claimed Fernandes to be feeling the pinch of the Covid-19 pandemic for his decision to sell the 125-acre property on the South-west of Scotland a er living there for seven years.
Savills said sale of the estate will include three residences on the land: Skeldon House, Castle Co age and The Coach House.
It said the buildings sit on natural woodland and the banks of the River Doon, immortalised in the poetry of 18th-century Sco ish poet Robert Burns.
The property also includes wine cellars, tennis courts, gymnasium and sauna.
Fernandes has regularly been listed among Malaysia’s richest men. He was listed as one of the number 41 on the 2020 Forbes Malaysia Rich in March, after his fortune shrunk to US$335 million.
The AirAsia Group has seen most of its airline fleet grounded this year due to the pandemic and has been struggling to stay afloat.
Earlier last month, it was reported that he had secured a RM300 million loan from Sabah Development Bank Bhd, believed to cover its local operations, including paying employees’ salaries and aircraft leasing.
On October 20, Fernandes in an interview with the Financial Times, said the budget airline has never had any necessity to ask for a government-backed loan in its 19 years of operations.