AirAsia Named 'World's Leading Low Cost Airline'

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 (Bernama) -- AirAsia continues to dominate the aviation industry, being named the "World's Leading Low Cost Airline", at the recent World Travel Awards 2013 in Doha, Qatar.

In a statement today, AirAsia said the airline received the highest votes from travel professionals from around the globe, surpassing other nominees in the category, namely, Air Arabia, Air Berlin, easyJet, JetBlue Airways, Precision Air and Southwest Airlines.

AirAsia's Group Chief Executive Officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said the recognition was a testament towards the strong brand that the airline has built. "From a Malaysian start-up, we are now an international brand synonymous with low-cost travel, with innovation as our key driver. This win is a first for AirAsia from World Travel Awards. We would like to thank everyone who voted for us.

"The award also marked a great milestone for us. AirAsia is about to celebrate its 12th anniversary as a group, having grown from a two-aircraft operation with just 250 staff to 147 aircraft in operation today, and nearly 12,000 personnel from around the region. "We are proud to be able to make people's dreams of flying come true, and will take this recognition as another catalyst to provide greater flying experiences for all our guests," he added.

Meanwhile, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of AirAsia said the award placed "brand Malaysia" on a high pedestal, to help the airline achieve its mission of developing the country into a major aviation hub like Dubai.

"As a home grown airline, we feel responsible to propel the nation's aviation industry further and for this, we need the support of the government and Malaysians alike," he added. AirAsia Bhd director Datuk Aziz Bakar represented the AirAsia Group at the awards ceremony.

AirAsia has also been named the World's Best Low Cost Airline by Skytrax for five consecutive years from 2009 - 2013.

The airline, which has operations in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines has flown over 202 million guests in less than 12 years of operations, through its extensive route network that spans across 87 destinations throughout 22 countries.
-bernama.