AirAsia Group CEO Awarded Nikkei Asia Prize

AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes has been awarded the prestigious Nikkei Asia Prizefor his contributions to the growth of Asia. The prize, given by Japanese newspaper publisher Nikkei Inc., recognizes Tony’s role in helping to democratize travel in Asia.

“Under his leadership, AirAsia revolutionized the air travel industry in the region by pioneering the discount carrier phenomenon. As a result, air travel became widely accessible to people from all walks of life, boosting travel in the region,” Nikkei Inc. said.

The awarding body also recognized Tony’s “achievements in remaking the company into one of the most successful international airlines in Southeast Asia despite the recent economic slowdown of the airline industry.”

The award is a timely recognition for AirAsia, which is hoping to start Malaysia-Japan flights in 2010. AirAsia plans to make Kuala Lumpur the premier gateway to ASEAN for Japanese tourists. It is also hoping to offer low-fare flights to Japan to the 600-million strong ASEAN population.

“We’re here to link more communities and to grow travel and tourism in Asia. We look forward to providing more links between the ASEAN region and the rest of Asia, including Japan. Links between countries play an integral part in strengthening Asia economically, socially and politically, and we are committed to helping achieve this,” said Tony.

Tony is the only airline executive to have received the award. He is also the first Malaysian individual to be given the award since the launch of the annual Nikkei Asia Prizes in 1996.

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