The Alan McDonald Aircraft

AirAsia, the World's Best Low Cost Airline owned by QPR Chairman Tony Fernandes, have paid a glowing tribute to the late, great Alan McDonald, naming a special QPR-themed plane after the former QPR stalwart. McDonald tragically passed away on June 23rd, aged 48, after collapsing on a golf course in native Northern Ireland.

Tributes flooded into the Club from all areas of the globe, with players past and present as well as supporters of the beautiful game wanting to pay their respects to the man affectionately known as 'Macca.'

Fernandes was particularly taken aback by the many testimonials he read about McDonald on his twitter account and as a result opted to name the Airbus A320 after the iconic R's legend.

The airbus is painted in the R's famous blue and white colours with a prominent tail that features QPR's iconic hoops. The interior of the aircraft carries fun facts on both QPR and McDonald himself. Macca, of course, spent 17 wonderful years at Loftus Road, making close to 500 appearances for the Club.

Present at the unveiling of the aircraft in Kuala Lumpur were the entire QPR First Team squad, as well as gaffer Mark Hughes, CEO Philip Beard and of course, Fernandes himself. AirAsia Group Head of Commercial, Kathleen Tan told www.qpr.co.uk: "The special aircraft does not only symbolise our energetic relationship with QPR, but also further cements our relationship with a team with an amazing history in English football and whose passion, determination and commitment reflects our own hard work and fervour in attaining success."

Tonia McDonald, Alan's widow, added: "On behalf of myself, Joshua and all the McDonald family I cannot thank Mr Fernandes enough for his overwhelming gesture of deciding to remember and honour Alan by naming one of his planes after him.

"We know Alan would have been so proud and amazed at such a generous tribute. I'm only sorry that we could not be in KL to witness the unveiling, but I feel immensely proud that Alan's name and the QPR colours will jointly become a legacy incorporated in such a wonderful aircraft. "Mr Fernandes has already promised me that if ever the plane comes to the UK then we will have the opportunity to see it for ourselves and Joshua and I can't wait for that to happen."

She added: "Since Alan's death we have really been taken aback by the amount of messages of support we have received both personally and through the Club. The letters, cards, e-mails and texts seem to have been never ending and reading them all brings us such comfort. "This amazing gesture by Mr Fernandes really tops everything and we are so proud to know we have such fantastic friends at QPR."

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