Re: Volo Air Asia QZ8501 (SUB-SIN) disperso
Un breve articolo sul patron di Air Asia
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The man behind AirAsia: chief executive Tony Fernandes
Washington: AirAsia was failing and falling ever deeper into debt in 2001 when Tony Fernandes bought the carrier from Malaysian conglomerate DRB-Hicom for a single Malaysian ringgit — worth about 50 cents at the time.
Mr Fernandes, a flamboyant Malaysian-born, British-educated former Warner Music executive, had dreamed of operating his own budget airline since he was in school, he told the BBC in 2010.
Fernandes, 50, built the small, heavily indebted company into a dominant player in south-east Asia with a low-cost model that focuses on short and cheap flights. He then started AirAsia X, which focuses on long-haul flights.
"Now everyone can fly" became AirAsia's motto. Since then, the airline has won numerous accolades as one of the world's leading low-cost carriers. AirAsia, which started with two planes when Fernandes bought it, now operates a fleet of more than 160 AirBus A320 aircraft, according to the company.
As a young boy, Fernandes dreamt up the idea of cheap flights across Asia while he attended a boarding school in England and couldn't frequently visit home because of the high cost of travel.
"For my first ever flight in AirAsia X, I refused to do the launch to Australia and China, and everyone thought it was a bit odd," Fernandes told the BBC in 2010. "But I wanted my first flight to be London-Kuala Lumpur."
Fernandes now faces his biggest crisis as AirAsia's chief executive. After AirAsia Flight QZ8501 lost contact with air traffic control on Sunday, Fernandes took to Twitter to express support for his employees: "To all my staff Airasia all stars be strong, continue to be the best. Pray hard. Continue to do your best for all our guests. See u all soon". "I as your group ceo will be there through these hard times," he also tweeted. "We will go through this terrible ordeal together and I will try to see as many of you."
Seen as the Richard Branson of south-east Asia, Fernandes seems to have also adopted the Virgin airline owner's public, larger-than-life persona.
Fernandes even once worked as an accountant for Branson's Virgin company, and the two are now close friends. Last year, Fernandes — who is known to prefer jeans to suits — became the host of reality game show Apprentice Asia. In 2013, Branson dressed up as an AirAsiaX female flight attendant after losing a bet to Fernandes over a Formula 1 race
Fernandes has an estimated worth of $US650 million and is the 28th-richest person in Malaysia, according to Forbes. But the multi-millionaire's interests spread further than the airline industry. He bought English Premier League football team Queens Park Rangers in 2011, and until this year owned Formula One Team Caterham.
His motto, according to the AirAsia website is: "Believe the unbelievable. Dream the impossible. Never take no for an answer."
The airline's revenue increased by 3 per cent in the most recent quarter compared with the same time last year, the company reported,
although its profits have fallen by 14 per cent as the political unrest in Thailand affects its flights there.
The region's airline industry has already been hit with two major disasters this year; in March, a Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared with 239 on board and still remains missing. Then, in July, 298 people aboard a Malaysia Airlines flight died when it was shot down over Ukraine.
Washington Post, agencies
Fonte:
http://www.theage.com.au/world/the-...executive-tony-fernandes-20141228-12et86.html
