AirAsia

AirAsia, founded in 2001, is the largest low-cost carrier in ASEAN. Five entrepreneurs led by Tony Fernandes and Datuk Kamarudin Meranun took over a struggling Malaysian airline with two aircraft and a mandate to make flying affordable across Southeast Asia. The carrier now operates more than 200 aircraft to over 130 destinations and has served more than 800 million guests under the principle that low cost need not mean low quality, with efficiencies passed to consumers as cheaper fares.

The company has moved well beyond flying. Its operations span a travel and technology ecosystem: the airline itself; AirAsia MOVE, a digital travel platform; Teleport, its logistics arm; BigPay, a fintech offering; and a duty-free retail business. Work therefore sits across several technical domains, including digital travel platforms, fintech, logistics technology, e-commerce and aviation operations, including fuel efficiency.

Geographic presence covers Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Cambodia, with operations spanning ASEAN. In 2023, efficiency initiatives avoided 130,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and saved US$40 million in fuel costs; the company has a net zero target for 2050.