（吉隆坡12日讯）由于吉隆坡飞往伦敦航线需求高企，亚洲航空集团（AirAsia）首席执行员丹斯里东尼费南德斯有意重启该航线。
他说，碍于自己仅是亚洲航空X有限公司（AAX，5238，贸易服务组）的董事，因此，所有决定仍需交由该公司首席执行员阿兹然奥斯曼定夺。
虽然如此，他指出，自己将会向亚洲航空X献议重启伦敦航线的事宜，且将会向该公司“施压”。
“我强烈认为必须要重启飞往伦敦的航线。”东尼费南德斯今日出席“第四届全球企业家峰会”演讲会时，这么指出。
当初，基于亚洲航空X无法承受过高的燃料成本和石油税收而停飞该航线，而此举也为大约1万4000名在英国深造的学生造成影响。
而东尼费南德斯也曾在5月份披露，有意重启欧洲主要城市的路线。此外，他希望亚航印度可在明年首季获得当地政府点头，正式开启印度市场。他在被询及亚航印度与当地发展的进展时，如是回应。
KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia X Bhd’s associate Thai AirAsia X Co. Ltd (TAAX) has received an air operator’s licence from Department of Civil Aviation of Thailand.
It said on Friday that TAAX had officially received the approval for the licence the previous day. TAAX had submitted its application on June 20.
AirAsia X, which is a low-cost, long-haul air transportation services company, holds a 49% stake in TAAX.
Two Thai citizens Tassapon Bijleveld and Julpas Kruesopon own 41% and 9% stakes respectively.
Tassapon is also the CEO of Thai AirAsia Co., Ltd since 2003. He also serves as a director of Asia Aviation Co., Ltd, which is a major shareholder of TAA.
As for Julpas, he is the president of Panda Security (US & Asia Pacific) since 2009.
Budget airline AirAsia Zest, which was recently renamed from Zest Airways, is aiming to grow its fleet by 50 percent in two years as it seeks to tap new destinations in the country and overseas, an official said on Friday.
AirAsia Zest director Joy Caneba said in an interview that discussions were being held to acquire via lease deals as many as seven mid-range Airbus A320s through 2015, to end that period with 21 planes.
The expansions comes amid commitments of support from the AirAsia Group of Malaysian tycoon Tony Fernandes, which earlier said it would infuse about $100 million into the budget carrier established by juice magnate Alfredo Yao in 2008.
The move would also increase Air Asia Zest’s market share, currently at about 10 percent of domestic flights, with the lion’s share going to Cebu Pacific, PAL Express and Philippine Airlines.
A longer-term plan, beyond five years, could involve mounting flights to long-haul destinations in Europe or the United States, Caneba said.
“With the rebranding, we have been aligning the business,” Caneba said
More planes will allow the airline to serve new routes in North Asia like Japan and South Korea, as well as parts of China, she said. For domestic flights, the carrier was set to announce three new routes out of Cebu, namely, Davao, Puerto Princesa and Cagayan de Oro.
Prior to rebranding, AirAsia came into Zest Air as a minority investor, given the latter’s attractive slots at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport. AirAsia’s own Philippine unit said it would temporarily stop flights out of Clark International Airport to allow the group to focus on Manila.
Philippines’ AirAsia Inc., the local arm of Malaysia’s low cost carrier AirAsia Group, is seeking congressional approval for a controlling stake in budget airline Yao-led AirAsia Zest.
The operator of AirAsia Philippines wants to raise its 49-percent equity in AirAisa Zest and be the controlling shareholder, AirAsia Zest executive vice president and COO Joy Caneba told reporters in a briefing Friday.
“We have submitted our application to the Committee on [Legislative] Franchises for approval,” she added.
According to the House of Representatives, the application for transfer of controlling interest of Zest Airways Inc. to Air Asia Inc. was filed Sept. 17.
As of Sept. 20, a committee resolution on the transfer was still pending.
“Hopefully we’ll get it by end of the year,” Caneba said.
Zest Airways, operator of AirAsia Zest, secured a congressional approval to operate as a carrier on Jan. 9, 2003. The operator was then named Asian Spirit Inc.
The congressional franchise, Republic Act (RA) 9183, or An Act Granting the Asian Spirit Inc. a Franchise to Establish, Operate and Maintain Domestic and International Air Transport Services, has a 25-year term to 2028.
Sec. 12 of RA 9183 notes that, “The grantee shall not lease, transfer…the controlling interest…whether as a whole or in parts and whether simultaneously or contemporaneously, to any such person, firm, company, corporation or entity without prior approval of Congress.”
Philippines AirAsia owns 49 percent voting rights in ZestAir through a share swap deal last March, while former Ambassador and juice drink magnate Alfredo Yao owns 51 percent.
AirAsia Group owns 40 percent of Philippines AirAsia, with the remaining 60 percent held by Marianne Hontiveros, Michael Romero, Antonio Cojuangco and Yao. – VS, GMA News
AirAsia’s Philippine affiliate is pressing for the group’s long-haul carrier AirAsia X to open a new hub near Manila, but it appears that no such move is on the horizon.
While discussing plans for Zest AirAsia—a joint venture in the Philippines—Chairman Michael Romero said that Zest is trying to convince AirAsia X to establish an affiliate of its own at Clark International Airport. Clark is about 50 mi. from the more central, and crowded, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila.
However, a spokeswoman for Malaysia’s AirAsia X tells Aviation Week that the airline is not looking at the Philippines as a location for a new offshore base. AirAsia X is currently focused on setting up joint venture affiliates in Thailand and Indonesia, she adds.
AirAsia X’s long term strategy is to create joint ventures in locations where the AirAsia group’s short-haul carriers have already established themselves, so they can provide feed for the long-haul carrier.
